According to exit polls conducted by Russian state-controlled companies, President Vladimir Putin's party winning more than 60 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections.

The vote projections were released Sunday evening by Russian media, just minutes after the last polling stations closed in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad. The communist party was running a distant second with about 12 percent of the vote.

Two other pro-Kremlin parties were shown clearing the seven percent threshold needed under new election laws to qualify for entry into parliament.

Opposition parties have for weeks charged that the controversial seven percent rule and other new election laws virtually guaranteed a majority for Mr. Putin's United Russia party in the 450-seat State Duma.

Critics also note that "United Russia" was the only party allowed to campaign on national television.

Earlier Sunday, after opposition leader Garry Kasparov cast his vote, he accused the ruling party of, in his words, "not just rigging the vote, but raping the whole electoral system." The former chess champion was freed Thursday after completing a five-day jail sentence for taking part in an anti-Putin demonstration.