President Vladimir Putin's party claimed a sweeping mandate in Russia's parliamentary elections Sunday, winning nearly two-thirds of the vote in a contest that could let Putin wield power beyond the upcoming end of his presidential term.
With nearly 92 percent of precincts reporting, Putin's United Russia Party had 63.2 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission. That margin would be enough to form a majority in the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, party leader Boris Gryzlov said at a news conference.
"The election is vindication that Vladimir Putin is the country's national leader, and that the Russian voters support the political course he has taken in the last eight years," Gryzlov said. 
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CNN's Max Tkachenko contributed to this report.
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