State media: Putin forecast to win election with 87% of the vote

Vladimir Putin has won the Russian presidential election with at least 87% of the vote, according to forecasts after polling stations closed on Sunday, state media reported Sunday.

Russian state television declared Putin, 71, the winner on Sunday on the basis of several voter surveys.

No genuine opposition candidates were allowed to stand in the three-day vote.

International observers did not monitor the election across the vast country which reaches across 11 time zones.

The vote on Putin's fifth term in office was accompanied by numerous protests.