Independent election monitors say vote fraud resulted in a significant undercount of Mikhail Prokhorov's votes in the Russian presidential election Sunday.

While official results show Prokhorov with eight percent of the vote, monitors from the Russian League of Voters said ballot falsifications it uncovered show the Nets owner should have won up to 16 per cent, adding they believe he was the biggest victim of the fraud.

The league says they won't accuse Putin or his people of illegality. "We are talking about moral categories, because if we start to judge their legality, they will sue us and everyone knows how that will turn out," said one official.

Meanwhile, Prokhorov reiterated that he has "no plans" to join Putin's cabinet, but will focus instead on a new political party. His website features a ticker with the number of people who are following Prokhorov on social media. By Friday morning, the number had reached 600,000.

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