Europe News
Kremlin candidate wins Sochi elections
Apr 27, 2009, 3:54 GMT
Moscow - Anatoly Pakhomov, the Kremlin-backed candidate, won a landslide victory in the race for the mayor's post in Sochi, host city of the Olympic Winter Games 2014, news reports said Monday.
The Itar-Tass news agency, quoting election officials, said with about 80 per cent of the votes counted, Pakhomov had won 77 per cent of the vote. Opposition candidate Boris Nemtsov came second with 13.5 per cent, followed by the Communist candidate Yuri Dzaganiya.
During the campaign the opposition complained that media coverage strongly favoured Pakhomov, the candidate backed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.
Pakhomov, the incumbent, was the favourite in the elections in the Black Sea city. The polls created national and international interest, as the hosting the 2014 Games is regarded a priority for the Kremlin.
Sochi's mayor is to play a key role in allocating the approximately 13 billion dollars the Russian government plans to invest in the Games.
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Europe
- 1. Pope in Easter message calls for peace and religious tolerance
- 2. Magnificent Messi leads Barcelona to ninth straight win
- 3. Pope leads Easter vigil, calls for "true enlightenment"
- 4. Barcelona increase pressure on Real with romp in Zaragoza
- 5. Pope Benedict XVI leads Easter Vigil
Older Talkback
