Yevgeny Urlashov wins 70% of vote in Yaroslavl, easily defeating the candidate of Vladimir Putin's party

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

An anti-corruption campaigner has won a landslide victory in a city mayoral election in Russia, dealing a blow to the pro-Kremlin party and energising the opposition.

Yevgeny Urlashov won 70% of Sunday's vote in Yaroslavl, a city of about 590,000, easily defeating the acting mayor, who was the candidate of Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

Urlashov's victory reflects growing public irritation with official corruption and social inequality. It gives new hope to Russia's opposition, which has struggled to maintain momentum after Putin won a third presidential term last month.

Opposition leaders have urged their supporters to focus on local elections, and Urlashov's victory is likely to bolster that strategy.

"People of Yaroslavl have grown tired of corruption and nepotism. They want changes," Urlashov said on Monday on Ekho Moskvy radio.

He has promised to fight graft by introducing tight public control over the city government's spending, and to cut red tape.