Putin's United Russia party secures record 355 seats in State Duma elections, says election chief

Moscow, Sep 21 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party has secured a record 355 seats in the 450-member State Duma, according to preliminary results from the Central Election Commission, extending the party's parliamentary dominance in an election in which openly critical opposition forces were largely excluded. With more than 95 per cent of votes counted, United Russia had won 57.83 pc of the party-list vote and was leading in 208 of the 225 single-member constituencies, giving it its largest parliamentary faction to date. Its previous record was 343 seats, won in the 2016 election. The Duma has 450…