MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin’s landslide re-election win amid unprecedentedly high voter turnout is the key outcome of Russia’s presidential election, Federation Council (upper house of parliament, or "senate") Speaker Valentina Matviyenko told reporters.
"The election was declared valid; it was held in a very dignified manner. The main outcome of the vote is that Vladimir Putin achieved a landslide victory amid unprecedentedly high voter turnout, receiving a truly legitimate mandate from Russian citizens to carry on with his policy course," Matviyenko pointed out.
According to her, now that the election is over, Putin can be regarded as the president of all Russians and a national leader, not figuratively but literally. "I would like to congratulate Vladimir Putin on his well-deserved victory," the senate speaker added.
The Federation Council speaker stressed that the election outcome highlighted the unity and cohesion of Russian society in the face of the threats confronting the country "and the Western aggression against Russia that has been there for years."
Russia held its presidential election on March 15-17.