MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin today promised Russians more of the stability and order that helped him win his landslide re-election, and pledged to open up the political stage to divergent voices after a campaign criticized as unfair and one-sided.

Russia's Central Election Commission officially declared Putin the winner early today, saying he won a second, four-year term with 71.2 percent of Sunday's vote.

"I think I have worked hard all those years, and I worked honestly. People must have felt it," Putin said, appearing before reporters at his Red Square election headquarters tieless, wearing a black sweater under a black blazer. "I promise you that for the next four years, I will work in the same mode."

The former KGB agent is credited by many Russians with bringing stability to this nation after the social and political upheavals brought on by the collapse of the Soviet Union. He has been helped by high world prices for oil, Russia's main export commodity and the engine driving its economy. Putin's image as a disciplined, sober, hard-working official also appealed to Russians after his predecessor Boris Yeltsin's health troubles and reported alcohol abuse.

European election observers criticized Russia's presidential vote, saying today that slanted coverage in the state-run media made for a one-sided campaign and that monitors recorded significant flaws in the vote count.

During the campaign, opposition candidates complained that the state-controlled media's lavish coverage of Putin gave them little opportunity to get their message to voters.

In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States "was concerned about a level of authoritarianism creeping back in the society."

"We don't hesitate to point out to President Putin that he should use the popularity that he has to broaden the political dialogue and not use his popularity to throttle political dialogue and openness in the society," Powell told ABC TV.