New ballot in Russian Far East after tainted vote tossed out

MOSCOW (AP) — Russians living in the far eastern region of Primorsky Krai have voted for a new governor after previous election was tainted by fraud.

The result of the region's gubernatorial election in September was annulled after a candidate representing the ruling United Russia party suddenly surged to victory in the final tallies.

Four candidates were competing Sunday. The polls are already closed and the votes were being tallied. To win, a single candidate must take at least 50 percent of the vote or face a runoff.

The local election commission has reported a 39.6 percent voter turnout — up from 29.2 percent in September.

The Kremlin-backed candidate on Sunday is acting governor Oleg Kozhemyako. The Kremlin candidate in September's election, Andrei Tarasenko, is not running after his victory was annulled.