The independent Russian monitoring group Golos said the presidential election, which Putin won with almost 90% of the vote, was "the most fraudulent and corrupt" in the country's history.
According to Golos, the elections that ended yesterday cannot be considered authentic because "the campaign took place in a situation in which the fundamental articles of the Russian constitution, which guarantee political rights and freedoms, were essentially not in force".
“Never before have we seen a presidential campaign so far from constitutional standards,” the group said in a statement.
Founded in 2000, Golos is the only Russian electoral monitoring body independent of the authorities.
Labeled a 'foreign agent' in 2013, he was banned from sending observers to polling stations.
One of its leaders, Grigory Melkonyants, is in prison awaiting trial on what the group says are political charges.
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