Progressive Kadyrov

There are fewer and fewer serious contenders for the presidency in Chechnya

State Duma deputy from Chechnya Aslambek Aslakhanov is confident that the Kremlin did not put pressure on Moscow businessman Khusein Dzhabrailov, who on Tuesday refused to participate in the Chechen presidential elections and withdrew his candidacy. Mr. Aslakhanov believes the Kremlin remains interested in independent and fair elections. “On August 13, I had a telephone conversation with the president, and he confirmed that he was ready to work with the person whom the people would elect,” the deputy said. From his point of view, rumors about the federal center supporting one of the candidates are untrue.

Mr. Aslakhanov himself entered the election campaign as one of the critics and opponents of the current head of the republic, Akhmat Kadyrov. He even wrote him a letter suggesting that he not be a candidate. In this case, Mr. Aslakhanov also promised not to participate in the elections and to give way to younger politicians. But the only response from the Chechen administration was an anonymous text with offensive content.

But now Mr. Aslakhanov's mood has changed significantly. Yesterday he called Mr. Kadyrov the favorite of these elections. The deputy now finds some positive aspects in the policies of the current leader of Chechnya. True, for some reason he decided to compare politicians such as Hitler and Mussolini with Mr. Kadyrov in this context. And he added that he has no personal complaints against Akhmat Kadyrov. Some political differences remain, but they can also be resolved - after all, Akhmat Kadyrov, according to Aslambek Aslakhanov, is a “progressive politician.”

All this, however, does not mean that Mr. Aslakhanov is ready, following Khusein Dzhabrailov, to leave the race and give his votes to the “progressive politician”. A deputy will withdraw his candidacy only in three cases: if he is killed, if the election commission finds a reason to withdraw his candidacy, or if the elections in Chechnya turn from an honest expression of will into a farce.

However, the election commission apparently won’t even have to look for a reason. Answering a question from a correspondent of the Vremya Novostei newspaper, Aslambek Aslakhanov announced his intention to run for the State Duma, both on the federal list of United Russia and on the 31st single-mandate constituency. “I know several people who have been promised this place, and none of them are worthy,” Mr. Aslakhanov concluded. His participation in the Duma elections automatically means that at the end of September he will still have to give up his presidential ambitions.

Thus, over the past 24 hours, Akhmat Kadyrov has essentially lost his two strongest competitors. The last serious rival for him so far remains the Moscow businessman Malik Saidullaev; the other candidates in Chechnya are almost unknown, and most of them were nominated as backup candidates by Akhmat Kadyrov himself.

According to the Vremya Novostei newspaper, these “successes” of Mr. Kadyrov are connected with the final decision taken in the Kremlin to support his candidacy. The candidate himself obviously already knows about the decision. Having received carte blanche for the upcoming elections, he yesterday authorized his long-planned dismissal. His longtime enemy, Chechen Minister of Press and Information Bislan Gantamirov, who had previously supported Hussein Dzhabrailov, lost his position. Mr. Gantamirov's ministry was liquidated and merged with the Ministry of Nationalities of Chechnya into the new Ministry of Information, National Policy and External Relations. As the Vremya Novostei newspaper was told at the reception of the dismissed minister, Bislan Gantamirov is now outside the republic. The new ministry was headed by Akhmat Kadyrov's associate Taus Dzhabrailov - control over the republican press was completely restored.

Ivan SUKHOV