Kadyrov demanded transparent elections in the absence of an alternative to his candidacy.
The elections for the head of Chechnya must be held openly and safely, said Ramzan Kadyrov. Real political competition is not expected in these elections, and Ismail Denilkhanov and Khalid Nakayev are needed to demonstrate a formal alternative to Kadyrov's candidacy, analysts previously surveyed by "Caucasian Knot" indicated.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 14, the authorities of Chechnya reported on the preparations for voting: 874 thousand voters are registered in the republic, and 20 territorial and 541 precinct electoral commissions will be operating.
On August 6, Kadyrov was registered as a candidate. On August 11, Ismail Denilkhanov and Khalid Nakayev were registered as candidates in the elections for the head of Chechnya. Voting will take place from September 18 to 20. In the previous elections in 2021, Kadyrov, according to official results, received 99.70% of the votes, while his two opponents received 0.27% combined.
Ramzan Kadyrov reported that he demanded to ensure open voting in the elections for the head of Chechnya. "I set the task to ensure open, organized, and safe conduct of voting, to create all necessary conditions for voters," he wrote on September 14 in his Telegram channel.
Kadyrov stated that all organizational activities must be conducted at a decent level and in a festive atmosphere, as the final day of voting coincides with the Day of Chechen Women.
Let us remind you, on August 28, analysts noted that there will be no real political competition in the elections for the head of Chechnya, and the participation of Denilkhanov and Nakayev is necessary to demonstrate a formal alternative to Kadyrov.
Tumso Abdurakhmanov* called both of Kadyrov's opponents technical candidates. "Both are ordinary representatives of Kadyrov's team, assigned to play the role of technical candidates," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot.".
The actual competitiveness of the current elections was also assessed as extremely low by one of the Chechen politologists. "Formally, the elections for the head of Chechnya are competitive – there are three candidates on the ballot. However, the results of previous campaigns and the public activities of Kadyrov's current opponents do not indicate the existence of real struggle for power between them. The participation of candidates from parliamentary parties at least provides the necessary external alternative for voting," said the political scientist to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on the condition of anonymity.
He emphasized that "technical candidate" is not a legal concept and does not have an official status. From a factual point of view, the participation of Kadyrov's opponents is more accurately characterized as providing formal alternatives in the elections, and the assertion that their goal is to legitimize the current head requires evidence of coordination between the candidates and the authorities, the political scientist pointed out.
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* by the decision of the Ministry of Justice of Russia, the individual is included in the register of foreign agents.
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