16:26, 9 October 2003

Participation of voters in Chechen presidential elections was not so mass as authorities consider

According to the version of the Russian authorities and Kadyrov's administration, over 80% of the people of Chechnya took part in the Chechen presidential "elections", which were held on October 5, 2003. However numerous independent sources assert the voters' attendance on October 5 was extremely low. For instance, activists of the public organization "Echo of War" visited several electoral areas in the Staropromislovsky district of Grozny, and, according to his words, the picture was the same everywhere. They saw lack of people in the polling stations, with election commission officials throwing batches of voting papers into ballot-boxes. As witnesses say, only 7-8 people visited the election center located in the building of school No. 26 in the period from 10 to 12 a.m.

Source: Public organization "Chechen National Rescue Committee"