Russia elections: Vladimir Putin admits 'possible irregularities' Speaking to journalists in Moscow on Wednesday, Mr Putin said: "It's possible there were irregularities, probably there were some. But they can only influence hundredths of a per cent. Well, maybe one per cent; that I can imagine. But no more. The League of Voters, a civic group set up after a public outcry over rigged parliamentary elections in December, said in a report that Mr Putin, who is currently prime minister, should have got 53 per cent rather than the official result of 64%. The League said rigging was achieved mostly through "daytime falsification," meaning multiple voting by the same citizens, rather than the "night falsification" chiefly employed during the parliamentary vote, when many election counts were allegedly rewritten after polling stations closed. In an apparent attempt at conciliation, Mr Putin said that the billionaire tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov, who came third in the election with 8 per cent, could take a senior post in the future. "Mikhail Dmitriyevich (Prokhorov) is a serious man, a good businessman, and in principle he could be in demand in the government, if he should want this himself," said Mr Putin. Mr Prokhorov did not respond immediately but said on Monday he was not interested in working in government "in the current political system." Asked if experts were right to predict a "tightening of the screws" after his return to the Kremlin in May, Mr Putin joked: "Of course, where would we be without that? Don't relax!