Putin Wins. Pre-election polls predicted around a 60% majority. Final results show Putin won 63.6% of the vote. He got a clear third term mandate. In 2004, he won 71%. Five candidates contended: United Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The Communist Party’s Gennady Zyuganov. The Liberal Democratic Party’s Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Just Russia’s Sergey Mironov. Independent candidate Mikhail Prokhorov (billionaire/Russia’s third richest man). With nearly all votes counted, official results were as follows: Putin: 63.6% Zyuganov: 17.2% Prokhorov: 7.9% Zhirinovsky: 6.2% Mironov: 3.9% Turnout was 63.3%. It exceeded December’s parliamentary elections. Opponents allege fraud. So do major media scoundrels. At issue isn’t who won or lost. Nor is it about a fair or fraudulent process. America’s electoral system is hopelessly corrupted and broken, yet media giants praise it.