(Reuters) - An online voting system that was criticised by some defeated candidates at parliamentary elections last year will be rolled out for use across Russia after President Vladimir Putin signed electronic voting procedures into law on Monday.

       A coalition of defeated parliamentary candidates in Moscow claimed they were cheated of victory in a parliamentary election last September by the system and sought to try to overturn the results via lawsuits and public pressure.

       Then only used in some regions, the system can now be used at elections and referendums across Russia at a national and regional level, after an online government portal showed Putin had signed the law, which had already passed through parliament.

       (Reporting by Reuters)