Chechen residents reported administrative pressure before the elections

| News, North Caucasus

Under the threat of dismissal, teachers in Chechnya were forced to participate in pre-election rallies and were obliged to vote, residents of the federal republic said. Meanwhile, the head of Chechnya, Kadyrov, won over 99 percent of the region's votes in this weekend's parliamentary elections.

Several days before the elections of deputies to the State Duma of Russia and the head of Chechnya, similar campaign rallies were held in different regions of the federal republic, presented by state television as "gatherings of citizens." Ministers, representatives of local administrations and clergy spoke at these rallies with the participation of state employees. These speakers called the current authorities’ policies in the region the correct one and directly called for people to vote for the current head. The representatives of the clergy gathered in the Grozny Mosque "Heart of Chechnya" where the Mufti of Chechnya Salakh Mezhiev made a speech on the elections.

In July 2020, the Chechen authorities initiated a flash mob on social networks in support of Ramzan Kadyrov as he came under new US sanctions. State employees said that their bosses, with the threat of dismissal, forced them to register on social networks and publish photos with the hashtag #WeSemyaKRA. Street actions were also held throughout Chechnya where participants dressed in the same clothes and lined up in ranks. Instagram users considered it compulsory to participate in these promotions.

An employee of the Chechen State University reported that he and his colleagues were obliged to be at work on September 17 to inform about the elections. “Last year they said to send a photo of how we went to the polls, how [ballots] were thrown into the ballot box,” said an employee of the university, who did not want to give his name.

Ramzan Kadyrov was registered as a candidate for the post of head of Chechnya from United Russia. His rivals were the representative of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Khalid Nakayev and Isa Khadzhimuradov from the A Just Russia - Patriots - For the Truth party. There is no campaigning in the federal republic. The outcome of the elections is a foregone conclusion, despite indicators such as a sharp increase in crime in the region. In 2016, Ramzan Kadyrov was elected for a third term, receiving, according to official figures, 97% of the vote. Even before the vote, residents of Chechnya stated that the outcome of the elections was determined in advance. Kadyrov's 14-year experience as head of Chechnya is the longest among the leaders of Russia's regions.

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