Pro-Putin party heads for Russian parliamentary election win

Russia’s pro-Putin’s party is set to win the polls after barring critic Alexey Navalny’s allies from running in June.

Russians have been voting in a three-day parliamentary election that looks set to deliver victory for the United Russia party, who back the country’s 68-year-old leader, Vladimir Putin.

It follows a sweeping crackdown by the Kremlin against critic Alexey Navalny’s movement, with opponents barred from the ballot.

The expected win could provide the president with apparent proof of support, despite growing public discontent over years of faltering living standards in the country.