Putin loses credibility but wins seats. The big loser – the Russian people. Even on these results it is a serious blow to Vladimir Putin and those who operate with him.

I saw a ballot box which had been left unsealed allowing votes to be added and removed without altering the total. Local observers had tried to get this fixed without success until International Observers – my Danish colleague and I insisted. The local official was very anxious we saw this as “just an oversight”.

Elsewhere a police officer tried to stop us entering a polling station and asked us to go to the police station to confirm our status. I refused and in this case the local polling official was helpful and we were able to observe. Another colleague was physically prevented from entering the place where local results were totalled to give the regional totals and where fraud is very possible. In the end by complaining loudly and to the higher authorities, he was allowed in.

All these give credibility to the widespread complaints of opposition politicians that fraud was widespread.

Tony is currently in Russia as an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly official observer.