Chechnya Turnout Will Be at Least 60 Per Cent, Says Russian Election Official

Excerpt from report by Russian news agency RIA Novosti

Groznyy, 25 November: Turnout on voting day in Chechnya’s parliamentary election will be at least 60 per cent, a representative of Russia’s Central Electoral Commission, Siyabshakh Shapiyev, has predicted.

Chechnya’s parliamentary election will take place on Sunday 27 November.

“Constituency election commissions have done a tremendous amount of work and have carefully prepared for the election. Election campaigning has been carried out extremely correctly, and I think turnout will be no less than 60 per cent,” Shapiyev told RIA- Novosti.

He said the commissions had done their utmost to ensure transparency of the election and to create conditions for observers to monitor voting at polling stations unhindered.

“We have reminded heads of constituency and polling station commissions that observers must be given copies of voting returns so as to avoid any complaints about irregularities. That way nobody will be able to cast doubt on the results of the voting,” Shapiyev noted.

He stressed that commission members continue to abide strictly by the requirements of the law and have been working very professionally.

Shapiyev noted that representatives of international organizations, the State Duma and the Federation Council, as well as hundreds of others from political parties taking part in the election, will monitor the voting process. [Passage omitted]