Moscow (CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party is winning Sunday's parliamentary elections, despite the presence of hundreds of opposition candidates on the ballot. Results show the United Russia party has nearly 46% of the votes so far, TASS reported, with the Liberal Democratic Party winning a little more than 17% and the Communist Party taking just under 17%. Opposition candidates got air time on state TVIn past votes, most opposition candidates have been blocked or excluded. But in Sunday's election, hundreds of Kremlin critics were allowed to run for office -- although some have complained of threats and harassment. He was recently invited to take part in a rare televised debate on state television, where most Russians get their news.

Source: CNN September 18, 2016 22:41 UTC