Official: Putin party to have 238 Duma seats

Vladimir Putin's United Russia party is likely to have 238 seats in Russia's 450-seat State Duma lower house of parliament after Sunday's election, Central Election Commission chief Vladimir Churov said on Monday.

The forecast, based on a nearly complete preliminary count that gave United Russia 49.5 percent of the votes, would give the prime minister's party a relatively slim 13-seat majority in the Duma. It previously held 315 seats. (Reuters)