You're reading: Monitors: Russian vote was skewed in Putin favour

MOSCOW - Russia's presidential election was clearly skewed in favour of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, international vote monitors said in a report on Monday.

"There was no real competition and abuse of government resources ensured that the ultimate winner of the election was never in doubt," Tonino Picula, one of the vote monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, said in a statement.

Monitors also called for alleged electoral violations in Sunday’s election to be thoroughly investigated.