DUBAI, March 18. /TASS/. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated Vladimir Putin on his re-election as president of Russia and expressed hope for further development of relations between the countries, his office said in a statement.

"His Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a congratulatory telegram to His Excellency President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on the occasion of his election victory, wishing him success and expressing hope for further development and strengthening of relations between the two countries," the statement said.

Russia held a presidential election from March 15-17. This is the first such election where votes could be cast for three days and be submitted online remotely. The e-voting system was available in about one-third of Russian regions.

With 100% of ballots counted, Putin collected 87.28% of the vote, according to data from the Russian Election Commission.