Dmitry Medvedev won Russia's presidential election with 70 percent of the vote, according to final preliminary returns released Tuesday, AP reported. Central Election Commission Vladimir Churov announced the results after all precincts had been counted. Final official results will be released later this week. Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov trailed with nearly 18, while ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky followed with more than 9 percent and little-known candidate Andrei Bogdanov captured more than 1 percent, Churov said. Turnout in Sunday's election was about 70 percent. Medvedev's landslide victory was virtually assured by a blessing from Vladimir Putin, the popular incumbent who said he would retain clout by becoming Medvedev's prime minister.
