Moscow - A businessman swept the vote yesterday in a gubernatorial election in a region of Russia's Far East notorious for underhand tactics and corruption allegations, days after his main rival was struck off the ballot. Preliminary data after 95 per cent of votes were counted showed that Mr Sergei Darkin had garnered 40 per cent of ballots cast.
A regional court in Vladivostok ruled on Thursday that Mr Viktor Cherepkov, a former mayor of the city, had illegally received funds.