Oiled by the Kremlin’s election machine, the result of Vladimir Putin’s vote on constitutional reform – to allow him to stay in power until 2036 – was never in doubt.
But the decision to unexpectedly publish ‘preliminary’ live results five hours before polling closed was a novelty that surprised even seasoned observers.
Overall, the projection of 73 per cent in favour of amendments that would allow Mr Putin to stay in power past 2024 was more than operatives in the Kremlin had been predicting.
The figure was broadly in line with exit polls published by state pollsters FOM and VTsIOM, who recorded 70 per cent and 76 per cent respectively.
But opposition groups painted a somewhat different picture. By their own independent polling, the vote was much closer. As of 3pm local time, they projected a tie in Moscow (49.91 per cent for, 49.87 against) and a defeat for the president in his home city of St Petersburg (42,02 percent for, 57.7 per cent against).
