The prize draw continued Kadyrov's practice of influencing the voting results

Ramzan Kadyrov's promise of prizes to voters who voted for the image of "Grozny-City" on the 500-ruble banknote became a tool of influence, similar to the use of administrative resources in the Chechen elections.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," on October 10, Ramzan Kadyrov announced a giveaway of ten iPhone 17s among those who voted four times (on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, by email, and on Gosuslugi) for the image of "Grozny-City" on the back of the 500-ruble note and posted about it on social media.

The Chechen Muftiate has joined the campaign to have the image on the banknote. 

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Chechnya hosted a meeting between the republic's mufti, Salakh Mezhiyev, and representatives of the republic's clergy. The meeting "discussed the importance of active participation in public life, particularly in the All-Russian vote on the symbols for the new 500-ruble banknote," the muftiate reported on its Telegram channel on the evening of October 10.

"Mezhiyev emphasized that supporting the city of Grozny in this vote is not only an expression of civic commitment, but also an opportunity to showcase the impressive successes and rapid development of the Chechen Republic at the national level," the publication stated.

Support for Grozny can be "quickly and easily" achieved in one of four ways: through VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, email, and the Gosuslugi portal, according to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Chechnya. The publication also provided step-by-step instructions for voting for "Grozny-City."

Kadyrov's attempt to buy votes is reminiscent of the practice of electoral violations.

Kommersant FM political commentator Dmitry Drize expressed doubts about the necessity of both the ten-iPhone giveaway announced by Kadyrov and the online voting organized by the Central Bank.

In a short podcast published on October 10 on the Kommersant website, Drize drew an analogy between online voting and political elections, in which offering rewards for votes is a violation.

In these elections, this is a serious violation.

"Russia is holding a rather unusual election – a banknote design. It's being conducted by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, which also seems a bit odd. Citizens are being asked to vote online for the symbols on the new 500-ruble banknote. It's dedicated to the North Caucasus Federal District. The front will feature the symbol of the district's capital, Pyatigorsk, and the back will feature a recognizable regional landmark. The favorites are Mount Elbrus and the Grozny City skyscraper complex. Everything would be fine, but it seems there's been an unhealthy amount of hype surrounding it. Supporters of each image have begun enticing Russians with generous promises. In theory, this would be a serious violation in a real election," the political commentator noted.

"There's a suspicion that our people lack public activity, including so-called competitive elections, with the nerves of not knowing the winner in advance. That's why there's so much interest [in this campaign]," Dmitry Drize emphasized.

In September 2021, Ramzan Kadyrov was elected head of Chechnya for a new five-year term with 99.7% of the vote, breaking his 2016 record of 97%. According to the Chechen Electoral Commission, Kadyrov's 99.7% victory set a world record for the largest number of votes in a regional presidential election, according to InterRecord.

Ramzan Kadyrov's victory in the Chechen presidential election, with a nearly 100% majority,  is completely implausible and typical of authoritarian regimes, analysts noted. "Such a turnout undermines any trust in elections whatsoever. How can one person get almost 100%? Everyone knows it's a game. They didn't elect him, but they had to elect him that way. For a normal person, this looks like a mockery... Such a figure is indecent even by national standards. The head of Chechnya is indulging in narcissism," said Alexei Malashenko, political scientist and chief researcher at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Moreover, the Chechen election process was accompanied by the active use of administrative resources. For example, teachers and doctors voted repeatedly  at different polling stations against their will, according to local residents. Before the elections, public sector and civil servants held rallies in various districts of Chechnya, urging people to vote. Not only officials and local government employees, but also clergy, campaigned for Kadyrov. While the participation of clergy in campaigning for Ramzan Kadyrov directly violates federal law, it is a long-standing and widespread practice in Chechnya, according to analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot."

As a reminder, the idea of ​​depicting "Grozny-City" or Mount Elbrus on the new 500-ruble banknote was criticized by the "Russian Community," calling it  "ideological sabotage ." Blogger Max Divnich, who had clashed with "Akhmat," urged his followers to vote for Elbrus over Grozny.

Regional leaders called on residents to participate in the symbol selection, while social media users called the competition  far-fetched . Several symbols will be used on each side of the 500-ruble note, and the winner of the vote will not necessarily occupy the central place on the banknote, the Bank of Russia explained.

The idea of ​​depicting "Grozny-City" on the 500-ruble banknote, which the "Russian Community" is campaigning against, is presented by Kadyrov as a symbol of the success of the imperial project, while both sides in the conflict are concerned only with their own prestige and influence, and not with state unity.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416227