Rivals allege mass fraud as Russian pro-Putin party wins big majority

Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin visits the Moscow Public Election Monitoring Center on the second day of a three-day long vote in parliamentary elections in Moscow, Russia September 18, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Opponents accused Russian authorities of mass fraud on Monday after the ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, won a bigger than expected parliamentary majority despite unease over living standards.

With 99.9% of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission said United Russia had won nearly 50% of the vote, with its nearest rival, the Communist Party, taking just under 19%.