Putin hails election victory but critics made voices heard despite harsh suppression

President Vladimir Putin basked in an election victory that was never in doubt as officials said Monday that he'd won his fifth term with a record number of votes, underlining the Russian leader's total control of the country's political system.

After facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices, Putin extended his nearly quarter-century rule for six more years.

Russia's Central Election Commission said that with nearly 100% of all precincts counted, Putin got 87.29% of the vote. Commission chief Ella Pamfilova said nearly 76 million voters cast their ballots for Putin, his highest vote tally ever.