Ruslan Yamadayev nominated for Chechen presidency

The regional branch of the United Russia party in Chechnya announced on May 31 that it nominated Russian State Duma Deputy Ruslan Yamadayev for the Chechen presidential election to be held in August. Activists of the party branch in Chechnya assert 27 thousand signatures in support of Ruslan Yamadayev have already been collected in the republic. A corresponding address with the signatures is expected to be submitted soon to the general council of the United Russia party, which will have to confirm Mr Yamadayev as a candidate for the Chechen presidency for this party.

Ruslan Yamadayev is considered to be an associate of the late president of the republic Akhmat Kadyrov. He, like Akhmat Kadyrov, was a staunch adversary of Wahhabism.

Yamadayev brothers (Ruslan, or Khalid, and Sulim, who is a former Ichkerian brigadier general) fought against the Russian army during the first Chechen war. In the autumn of 1999, they came over the side of federal forces and surrendered the second largest city in Chechnya, Gudermes, to the military without a fight. Last year, Ruslan Yamadayev was elected Russian State Duma deputy for Chechnya as a candidate nominated by the United Russia party.

Meanwhile, none of the known Chechen politicians and businessmen (Bislan Gantamirov, Malik Saidullayev and others) who have announced their intention to take part in the forthcoming presidential election has submitted appropriate applications to the republican election commission so far.