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Acting head of Russia’s Udmurtia Solovyov wins regional elections

IZHEVSK, September 15. /ITAR-TASS/. Alexander Solovyov, the acting head of the Republic of Udmurtia, won Sunday’s elections for the post of the republic’s head after all ballots were counted, the local election commission said on Monday.

Solovyov, who is a member of the United Russia ruling party, was followed by Vladimir Chepkasov from the Russian Communists Party with 7.6% of the votes, Andrei Markin (LDPR) - 3.3% and Sergei Loginov (Communists of Russia) - 2.73%.

The turnout was estimated at 43% out of the 1.2 million registered voters in the Republic of Udmurtia.

Elections of various levels were held on Sunday in all Russian regions, except the republic of Ingushetia. Elections were held in two new Russian regions - Crimea and the city of Sevastopol - too.

In all, the country saw about 5,800 election campaigns and local referendums. About 75 million eligible voters have been registered across the country. Thirty Russian regions elected their heads and governors, 14 regions elected legislative assemblies, three administrative centers of Russian regions elected their mayors.

The voter turnout was in general low, but is some regions it exceeded 50%. According to the Central Election Commission, this high turnout was reported from the gubernatorial elections in the Orel, Samara and Tyumen regions, and in elections of heads of the republics of Komi and Kalmykia.

High turnout was registered at elections to legislative assemblies in the republic of Tyva - 67%, in the republic of Tatarstan - 69%, in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria - 67%, and the republic of Karachai-Circassia - 66%.

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