Trust in the elections has been undermined by the departure of the two candidates that polls showed were the top contenders. Aslambek Aslakhanov dropped out to become an adviser to President Vladimir Putin. Malik Saidullayev's candidacy was invalidated the same day by the Chechen Supreme Court.
Those moves raised wide speculation that the Kremlin was determined to ensure the victory of Akhmad Kadyrov, appointed in 2000 as the Kremlin's top civilian in Chechnya. He faces six little-known candidates and is widely expected to win.
Russia has enacted a tight security regime to make sure the voting takes place without violence. Some 16,000 police were to guard the polling stations, and truck traffic within and between all major Chechen communities has been banned until the voting is over.
Grozny was sealed off to outsiders on Saturday and some roads were closed for security reasons.
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