Local election rallies are the funniest.
Town of Muchino, established 1070 ad:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=320s&v=Q1J5lUKnD4I
As of 7:00 PM Moscow Time, nationwide turnout stands at 59%.
First exit poll projection released by the all-Russia Center Of Public Polling:
Putin has won the first round ballot with 74% of the vote, a historic landslide.
He received 63% in the first round ballot in the 2012 presidential election.
Why did Putin win? My takeaways?
He was the guy with an 80% personal approval rating. Impossible to beat a guy who is enormously popular. You might well be King Canute holding back the tide. There is no doubt the vast majority of Russians like and trust Putin, no matter what they think of their government.
Then there is the fact the opposition was never able to unite around a candidate who could credibly pose a threat to Putin. It ran a listless and uninspiring candidate. To be fair, even in a completely and fair election, that would have an uphill task.
Putin is an astute and accomplished leader and politician. That if any thing adds to his win and with his first class campaign team, they deserve congratulations. They only fell off a few points of the personal approval rating. It was well deserved.