Marat Safin wins seat in Russian Parliament

Moscow: Former top-ranked tennis player Marat Safin has won a seat in Russia’s lower house of Parliament and will represent the pro-Kremlin party United Russia. The 31-year-old Safin will be one of the youngest members in the 450-seat legislature. [caption id=“attachment_157773” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Safin, 31, will be one of the youngest members in the 450-seat legislature. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images”]  [/caption] Safin retired from tennis in 2009 after winning two Grand Slam titles and earning the No. 1 ranking in 2000. Official election results released Thursday by the Central Election Committee show that boxer Nikolai Valuev and three-time Olympic champion wrestler Alexander Karelin also won seats in the Duma, where they will also represent the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin-led United Russia party. The new Duma is scheduled to convene on 21 December. AP