The ruling party of Vladimir Putin was dealt a severe blow since he first emerged to national leadership in 1999

Despite his party’s winning in Russia's parliamentary elections on Monday, the ruling party of Vladimir Putin was dealt a severe blow since he first emerged to national leadership in 1999 by cutting his party’s parliamentary majority as he prepares to reclaim the presidency.

United Russia is set to obtain 238 seats in the 450-seat State Duma, down sharply from the 315 seats it won in the last polls in 2007, election commission chief Vladimir Churov told reporters citing results from 96 percent of polling stations.
  
The ruling party won 49.54 percent of the vote, the results showed, after Sunday's elections that the opposition said were shadowed by mass violations as United Russia sought to maintain dominance.
  
The results mean that while United Russia has narrowly held onto an absolute majority in the State Duma it has lost the so-called constitutional majority of two-thirds required to pass any changes to the constitution.
  
Its biggest opposition will be the Communist Party with 92 seats, followed by the A Just Russia party with 64 seats and the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party with 56 mandates.

Kommersant broadsheet said "The ruling power will have to look for partners," while Vedomosti business daily acidly called United Russia "the minority party."

"Based on these results, we will be able to ensure the stable development of our country," Putin said in a terse speech standing alongside President Dmitry Medvedev at United Russia campaign headquarters.
  
Medvedev conceded United Russia would have to share power and "enter into coalition agreements," saying the election results showed Russian "democracy in action." He rejected the claims of foul play by the authorities.