Abdul-Kerim Arsakhanov: "The sooner we form power organs, the sooner we restore our republic"

- Abdul-Kerim, how do you estimate the actions of presidential contenders of the Chechen Republic?  Do they satisfy the requirements made of them?

- On the whole, everything is going within the limits of the law, within permissible standards. There is some discontent from the direction of single candidates, from a part of the population, including journalists, regarding the fact that the candidates use agitation materials, in particular, publicity posters too non-uniformly.

But I must say there were not any bans. The accounts were open for all presidential contenders to which money comes in not from the state, I specify it at once, but from private and juridical persons. And here everything depends on financial resources. Akhmad Kadyrov, for instance, has 29 million rubles at his account (the allowable limit is 30 million rubles), but he has spent only 3-4 million rubles. There is no excess expenditure, we check it.

The time (free and paid) for TV appearances and paper publications was assign to each candidate by means of sortition in accordance with established procedure. But some candidates have not managed to use even their free time fully.

- Would you remind readers how many contenders are still running the election race?

- 7 candidates remain. Malik Saidullayev, as it is known, appealed to the Supreme Court. If the decision on his registration is made, he will return to the election struggle.

- Abdul-Kerim, why nothing is said about the pledge he had made? It is a ground for registration, isn't it?

- The primary ground, requirement for documents to be considered for the purpose of registration is a collection of signatures. Pledge is a securing factor...

- It is not a substitution for the collection of signatures?

- It does not replace it. If the signatures produced by Malik Saidullayev had given rise to our doubt or watchfulness, we would have registered him on the basis of pledge right away. According to the indices that are material from our point of view we did not find omissions and defects in the signatures that he had collected. Information on a signatory that will help to find him/her if necessary is enough for us. But a court found some defects in the registration of the signatures.

- Well, did he deposit pledge of not?

- Yes, he did. But a person empowered to act for him of he himself should have given us the extra signal that they wanted to register on the basis of pledge...

- So these are different ways.

- Yes, they are different. They should have determined their position on the day when the papers were being considered for registration.

- Enumerate those people who are continuing their struggle for the presidential chair, please.

- They are A. Kadyrov, H. Biybulatov, A. Bugayev, Sh. Burayev, K. Saduyev, N. Payzulayev, and O. Khanchukayev. By the way, Ovukhat Khanchukayev uses the free time assigned to him very well. He behaves very correctly, accuses no one, and speaks only about himself and his program.

- Abdul-Kerim, do the contenders or persons empowered to act for them complaint about anything? There is talk that power organs do not permit either candidate or another to open election headquarters in some districts.

- I can judge only by applications and complaints that we have received on this matter. There is nothing like that for the time present. If we had received such a signal, we would have interfered in the situation without delay.

Moreover, I remind district administration heads that the infringement on the rights of any candidate is inadmissible. All of them have equal rights. But, to my surprise, some candidates are inactive while using these rights. Perhaps, they have lost certainty they will get necessary votes.

- Or, maybe, they are too self-confident...

- This is also possible.

- According to today's information, have unlawful acts of acts of sabotage taken place anywhere in the system of polling stations?

- There were several attempts of burning and mining. But it is not surprising in the conditions of Chechnya. Something happens here every day.

- And who guards the polling stations and the Chechen election commission? federal power agencies of local ones?

- The interior ministry, the military commandant's office, and the Chechen prosecutor's office planned their joint work on the protection of both polling stations and population. All the polling stations were to be taken under twenty-four-hour guarding since September 25. Mainly, local forces are to be equipped, but federal forces will not stay aside.

- How are communication and transport problems settled by you?

- It should be said the large work have been done. Each of the 425 polling stations on the territory of the republic will be provided with communication. Portable radio transmitters and overland transport are to be used in some places in highlands. We are prepared for the election by 90 percent. We are still to arrange signboards, but we do not hurry with doing it. The important thing is that the required quantity of voting papers has been printed, and they are already in the places, as well as stationery. Financial support is provided fully. The whole sum, 57 million rubles, arisen from our calculations has been financed. Everything goes in conformity with a calendar plan.

- Does the election commission feel pressure from anybody?

- Journalists often ask this question...

- It is our work.

- Well, I can not say we do not feel any pressure. We do feel it, but not to the extent to consider it to be a burden on us, to limit our freedom of action. There were attempts to bribe election commission members, but, to their credit, they did not yield to temptation. But you probably heard there was a fight here, at the commission's office. If people fight, it means they work. And while responding to a paper report on this occasion, I said, "We have come up to different economically developed countries at last: to the US, Japan, Italy. And at the Russian State Duma no day passes without a fight."

- You are keeping up to date.

- Yes, but for all that we reconciled the fight participants, and they shook hands with each other.

- Abdul-Kerim, would you comment the unexpected withdrawal of a number of competitive candidates from the election race? Evil tongues assert they were neutralized by the Kremlin in favor of its protege.

- I can not say they withdrew their candidacies against their will. I have no facts pointing to it. I assume the other thing - the Kremlin undeliberately advertised Kadyrov sometime, but it was connected with the work. You see, the life can not be paused because of the election. The head of the republic can not keep completely aloof from state affairs, pre-arranged meetings and actions, even being on vocation.

Therefore so-called administrative resources automatically become visible. After all no one relieves him of the responsibility for what is happening in the republic, including compensation payments.

-  Abdul-Kerim, the outcome of this election seems to be predetermined by the objective reality that we have in Chechnya. And some defects of the election struggle will hardly affect it. What can you say about the other election following this one - about the election of State Duma deputies?

- Well, we already feel a wave of the second election. Some citizens have already proposed their candidacies, the papers and lists are going to us. So, today we are working in the conditions of two elections, which are to be held on October 5 and December 7, 2003. Then March 2004, when the president of Russia is to be elected, will be not far off.

- The next year seems to be a year for a parliamentarian election in the Chechen Republic. After all the State Council of the Chechen Republic is only a stage before a full-fledged legislative body appears. And the parliament is this very body.

- Well, we must get absolutely legitimate power in Chechnya at last, with all its branches being present. It even seems to me for some reason the parliamentarian election in Chechnya has to be held before the Russian presidential election. The sooner we form all power organs, the sooner we restore our republic.

- Let it be so! Thank you for your interview, Abdul-Kerim.