Citizens in Russia's strife-torn republic of Chechnya go to the polls on Sunday to vote for a new president in the second election of its kind within a year.
Former president Akhmat Kadyrov, who had been elected in October last year, was assassinated during a WWII Victory Day parade in the Chechen capital Grozny on May 9.
His death and the contiuing daily violence in Chechnya prove that the Caucasian republic is still far from returning to a state of normalcy, as claimed by the Russian government in Moscow.
Moscow human rights activists have described the situation as "neither war nor peace."
It is unlikely that the presidential election will have much effect on this situation. With some interruptions, the Russian military's fight against the Chechen rebels has been going on for ten years.
Even though Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to contain the conflict within Chechnya, all of Russia continues to be affected by it, too.
In February, 40 people were killed in a bomb attack on Moscow's subway. In Chechnya's neighboring Russian republic, Ingushetia, more than 90 police and justice department officials were shot dead by Chechen and local rebels in June.
As was the case at Kadyrov's election, whose 80.9 percent win was considered a sham by many Chechens and international observers, Moscow is again doing its utmost to push through its favored candidate at the upcoming poll.
Six out of the seven contestants are regarded as nominal candidates. Designated to win and heavily promoted by the Kremlin is former Chechen Interior Minister Alu Alkhanov.
The former police general has also made it clear that his succession would not trigger any change of policy in Chechnya: "There will be no fundamental difference to the policy of Akhmat-Haji Kadyrov," he declared.
The power in the republic is expected to remain with Kadyrov's clan anyway. Following his father's death, the family is now run by his 27-year-old son Ramzan, Kadyrov's former chief bodyguard and deputy head of government.
Ramzan commands a militia force of several thousand men which fights against the rebels. According to human rights groups it is also involved in kidnappings and economic crimes, and said to be terrorizing political opponents and business competitors.
Russia and the Russian-backed leadership in Chechnya hope that the election will isolate the rebels around former president Aslan Mashadov and field commander Shamil Basayev, who has been blamed as the mastermind of numerous terrorist attacks.
The estimated 1,500 fighters have suffered many casualties over recent years but are still capable of dealing heavy blows in the area, as recently in Ingushetia.
Meanwhile, the international community's once outspoken criticisms of Russian human rights violations in the area have also died down in recent years, especially since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the US.
Putin is due to welcome German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac in his holiday destination Sochi one day after the scheduled elections.
If Schroeder's earlier meetings with Putin are anything to go by, the Kremlin chief will have no reason to fear any admonitions on Chechnya.
LANDMARK CASE: ‘Every night we were dragged to US soldiers and sexually abused. Every week we were forced to undergo venereal disease tests,’ a victim said More than 100 South Korean women who were forced to work as prostitutes for US soldiers stationed in the country have filed a landmark lawsuit accusing Washington of abuse, their lawyers said yesterday. Historians and activists say tens of thousands of South Korean women worked for state-sanctioned brothels from the 1950s to 1980s, serving US troops stationed in country to protect the South from North Korea. In 2022, South Korea’s top court ruled that the government had illegally “established, managed and operated” such brothels for the US military, ordering it to pay about 120 plaintiffs compensation. Last week, 117 victims
China on Monday announced its first ever sanctions against an individual Japanese lawmaker, targeting China-born Hei Seki for “spreading fallacies” on issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and disputed islands, prompting a protest from Tokyo. Beijing has an ongoing spat with Tokyo over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, and considers foreign criticism on sensitive political topics to be acts of interference. Seki, a naturalised Japanese citizen, “spread false information, colluded with Japanese anti-China forces, and wantonly attacked and smeared China”, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Monday. “For his own selfish interests, (Seki)
Argentine President Javier Milei on Sunday vowed to “accelerate” his libertarian reforms after a crushing defeat in Buenos Aires provincial elections. The 54-year-old economist has slashed public spending, dismissed tens of thousands of public employees and led a major deregulation drive since taking office in December 2023. He acknowledged his party’s “clear defeat” by the center-left Peronist movement in the elections to the legislature of Buenos Aires province, the country’s economic powerhouse. A deflated-sounding Milei admitted to unspecified “mistakes” which he vowed to “correct,” but said he would not be swayed “one millimeter” from his reform agenda. “We will deepen and accelerate it,” he
Japan yesterday heralded the coming-of-age of Japanese Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing. The nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito received a black silk-and-lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life. “Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming-of-age ceremony,” Hisahito said. “I will fulfill my duties, being aware of my responsibilities as an adult member of the imperial family.” Although the emperor has a daughter — Princess Aiko — the 23-year-old has been sidelined by the royal family’s male-only
RSS