The appearance of competition has become a way to legitimize Kadyrov's stay in power.
Through direct elections involving alternative candidates, albeit totally falsified, Kadyrov legitimizes his stay in power. The goal of such legitimization is to prevent Chechen elites from making Kadyrov dependent on their support, analysts believe.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on July 8, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, visited the republic's electoral commission, submitting documents for participation in the elections on the unified voting day of September 20. He received permission to open a special electoral account. The next day, the Chechen Electoral Commission accepted documents from two candidates for the position of head of the region - the chairman of the Public Chamber of Chechnya, Ismail Denilkhanov, and a deputy of the republican parliament, Khalid Nakaev.
In no direct elections for the head of Chechnya have Ramzan Kadyrov's opponents even approached the five percent threshold. In 2016, the other three candidates received between 0.53% and 0.84% of the votes, while in 2021, Kadyrov's two competitors together garnered less than 0.4% of the votes. At the same time, Kadyrov himself received over 97% of the votes in both elections.
Member of the Adam Smith Council, political scientist Sergey Boyko reminded that in 2018, observers from Moscow in Grozny showed that voter turnout in the presidential elections was ordinary, like in Moscow or any other region.
Today, elections are a political ritual that records not the will of the people, but the ability of the administrative machine to organize formal procedures.
“Hence the conclusion that the results of 97% are simply fabricated. Therefore, today elections are a political ritual that records not the will of the people, but the ability of the administrative machine to organize formal procedures. Competing 'candidates' will be appointed. The same applies to turnout and percentages,” Boyko explained.
According to the political scientist, the absence of Ramzan Kadyrov's personal participation in the State Duma elections is due to their diminished status in the current political system.
“Potentially, there are groups of the population that would vote against Kadyrov, but in the conditions of real terror against opponents of the
“According to him, in the event of changes in Russia, it is likely that with the dismantling of Putin's authoritarian regime, a settling of scores between different clan groups will begin in Chechnya.”
“So Kadyrov's popularity will disappear quite quickly with the emergence of real competition,” Boyko believes.
Electoral analyst Ivan Shukshin* noted that there are multiple testimonies that elections in Chechnya are totally falsified.
"The deployment of observers, electoral statistics, and the study of video recordings from polling stations in 2018 all showed that the official results in Chechnya, indicating a turnout and result of 95% — are just one big fabrication. Therefore, I cannot seriously discuss the election results in this region," Shukshin* told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
He believes that Kadyrov's rating within the region is formed strictly within the republic,
"The Kremlin cannot influence this. However, if the elections, the only tool for measuring ratings, are broken, it is unclear how to talk about the rating," Shukshin pointed out.
Professor of RGGU, political scientist Alexey Kuzmin stated that alternative candidates in the elections for the head of Chechnya are a demonstration of the presence of freedom.
"But this is also a guarantee of manageability. If and when the regime's mistakes outweigh its advantages, the standard procedure will ensure the rise to power of a 'candidate supported by democratic means' - this is a game, but a useful one," he believes.
According to the professor, direct elections are needed for legitimization.
"Legitimization is not needed before the Kremlin - it is a way to prevent Chechen elites from making Kadyrov dependent on their support," Kuzmin emphasized.
As for the simultaneous nomination for the head of the region and inclusion in the list of candidates for the State Duma deputies, it is possible to be in several lists, but not necessary.
"The fact that other people are going to the State Duma is a demonstration of the regime's strength: we have popular candidates," Kuzmin noted.
Let us remind you that during the direct line on December 14, 2025, Ramzan Kadyrov stated that he is fed up with power, but will run for the head of the republic in 2026 if the president offers and the people support. On April 29, Kadyrov met with Putin in Moscow and secured his support, again calling himself his "infantryman." During this meeting, Putin expressed hope that "the residents of Chechnya will again support" Kadyrov in the elections. On July 6, "United Russia" nominated Ramzan Kadyrov as a candidate for the position of head of the Chechen Republic. On July 2, the Council of Elders of Chechnya unanimously supported Kadyrov's candidacy in the elections.
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