Ramzan Kadyrov has been re-elected for a fifth term as the leader of Chechnya, securing an impressive 99.85% of the votes, as announced on Monday by Russia’s Electoral Commission. This marks a slight increase from the 99.73% he received in 2021.
The voting concluded on Sunday alongside elections for Russia’s national parliament, regional legislatures, and governors, serving as a litmus test for the country’s tightly controlled political system in the wake of four and a half years of war in Ukraine.
Kremlin-backed parties and candidates have dominated the elections, following the exclusion of most anti-war candidates from the race, according to results released.
Kadyrov enjoys considerable autonomy from President Vladimir Putin, allowing him to govern Chechnya as a personal fiefdom in exchange for maintaining stability in a region that experienced significant Islamist and anti-Russian insurgency in the 1990s.
International observers have frequently criticized the electoral processes in this small mountainous region of southern Russia, which has a predominantly Muslim population.
Despite facing such criticisms, Kadyrov dismisses them as Western attempts to undermine his authority, frequently reiterating his personal loyalty to Putin. He has also adopted a hardline stance towards Ukraine, claiming that his Chechen forces have been engaged in the conflict since 2022.
However, last month, sources from The Economist reported that Kadyrov has been attempting to minimize the number of Chechens sent to the front lines.
His rise to power followed the assassination of his father, Akhmad Kadyrov, in a bombing by insurgents in 2004, who regarded him as a traitor.
Human rights organizations have long accused Kadyrov’s government of widespread human rights violations.
