MOSCOW  Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin’s governing party has won handily in regional elections, Russia’s Central Election Commission said Monday, in his first electoral test since the economy began to turn dire.

Mr. Putin’s party, United Russia, won the majority of seats in all nine regions where local parliamentary elections were held Sunday, and nearly swept smaller municipal elections. The Communist Party, which complained of widespread violations, came in a distant second.

United Russia officials called the resounding victory evidence that Mr. Putin’s response to the economic crisis, including supporting the ruble and selected bailouts, had spared many Russians the ill effects of a rapidly tumbling economy.

“These elections show that the steps taken by the government and the legislature are correct and directed at preventing serious impacts of the global crisis on the economic situation in Russia,” said Boris Gryzlov, the party chairman.