Rammell concerned by Chechen elections
The UK has expressed serious concerns about the conduct of this weekend’s Chechen presidential election.
Alu Alkhanov, the Russian backed candidate, won a landslide victory in the election amidst allegations of vote rigging.
Turnout in the election was claimed to be 85 per cent, with Mr Alkhanov receiving 74 per cent of the vote. However, journalists within Chechnya report that the voting stations were virtually empty. The voting was conducted under martial law with all voters being searched with metal detectors for bombs.
There are an estimated 80,000 Russian troops in Chechnya as the increasingly bitter dispute continues, with rebels dismissing the election of Mr Alkhanov who they regard as a Russian stooge and vowing to assassinate him. His predecessor, Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated in May.
Commenting on the results, Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell said that he had “serious concerns” about the election process.
He said: “We recognise the genuine security problems Russia faces in Chechnya and the North Caucasus. We have been clear in our condemnation of the appalling terrorist attacks across Russia, and those that would condone them.
“However, these problems can only be resolved through a political rather than military solution. We therefore welcomed the political process undertaken in Chechnya.
“But we have serious concerns about the way these elections have been conducted. In our view, another opportunity has been missed to build up the political process.”
Mr Alkhanov’s only serious rival Malik Saidullayev was barred from standing in the elections.
Continuing, Mr Rammell said that he hoped: “Mr Alkhanov and the Russian authorities will now try to advance reconciliation in Chechnya, press forward with parliamentary elections and take real steps to address serious problems of human rights abuses, especially abductions and disappearances.”
Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about the fate of the Chechen population – citing evidence of abuse by Russian troops. The UK and other Western governments have been accused of failing to register a full enough protest due to their desire for Russian oil and support in the “War against Terror.”
The poll was conducted in the aftermath of reports that investigators have found traces of explosive at the sites of two downed Russian airliners. Some sections of the Russian media report that the planes were downed by Chechen separatists.
