Last day of election campaign in Chechnya

August 27 is the last day of the presidential candidates' election campaign in Chechnya. Any agitation in favor of any candidate is prohibited from tomorrow. Officials of the Chechen Central Election Commission assert no violations have been fixed in the course of the election campaign. "The winner in the presidential race will be known in 2 days. All candidates behaved correctly with respect to their rivals and worked in total compliance with the law. There were no serious violations on their part," a Commission official said to the Caucasian Knot correspondent.

In spite of the assertions of the Commission officials, violations took place in the course of the election campaign nevertheless. In the morning of August 27, unknown people smashed agitation stands and tore away all election posters of Movsur Khamidov in the Leninsky district of the Chechen capital. It is not known whether it was common hooliganism or rivals' purposeful action. Mr Khamidov's staff refused to give any comments on the incident.

Altogether 7 candidates are nominated for the post of President of the Chechen Republic. They are "candidate #1", the Kremlin's favorite Major General Alu Alkhanov, head of the FSB (Federal Security Service) Department in the Chechen Republic Movsur Khamidov, head of the Goryachiy Istochnik office of the Modern Humanitarian Academy Abdula Bugayev, Chechenneftkhimprom Company Director General Umar Abuyev, Nedr Company Director General Magomed Aydamirov, Adviser to the President of Chechnya Vakha Visayev, and senior officer in the staff of the Chechen State Council Mukhumd-Khasan Asakov.