With 90% of votes counted, United Russia strongly ahead

As of 10 a.m. Moscow time today, with 90.58% of ballots counted, United Russia was continuing to lead, with 36.8% of the votes in the election for the new State Duma. The report came from Aleksandr Veshnyakov, chairman of the Central Election Committee of the Russian Federation, at a briefing at the Elections-2003 press center, Rosbalt said. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation had 12.7% of the vote, and the Liberal Democratic Party 11.8%. The Rodina bloc had 9% of the vote, Yabloko 4.3%, the Union of Right Forces 3.9% and the Agrarian Party of Russia 3.8%. The remaining electoral groupings had from 0.1% to 3.2% of the vote. Some 4.7% of those voting voted against all candidates.