Moscow's Man Set to Win Chechen Poll

06/10/2003| IslamWeb

A man who can bring peace to war-torn Chechnya? Or a puppet of the Kremlin? Whatever your view of Akhmad Kadyrov, it is almost certain that he will be named president of the southern Russian republic following controversial election. At first glance, he may seem an unlikely choice as Moscow's man in the rebellious region. After all, Kadyrov is a former Muslim cleric who once called for jihad against Russia. Having switched sides however, he now appears regularly on nationwide television with President Vladimir Putin who sees him as the key to his plans to keep Chechnya firmly within Russia. Officially there are seven candidates but all Kadyrov's main rivals have either withdrawn or been disqualified, leading to claims by human rights groups that the poll is a meaningless one-horse race engineered by Moscow. There is tight security in Grozny, Chechnya's ruined capital, amid fears of attacks by Chechen fighters. They have pledged to continue their armed campaign. Chechen electoral authorities said that by midday more than 40 percent of people had cast their ballots - a figure called into question by some journalists observing the vote. **PHOTO CAPTION*** War-weary voters in Chechnya appeared resigned to the presidential victory of Akhmad Kadyrov, the Kremlin's handpicked man, as they cast their ballots in a widely discredited poll. (AFP/File/Yuri Kadobnov)