18 May 2004 17:23
Russian nationalist party to field candidate for Chechen president
[Presenter] LDPR [Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia] intends to field its own candidate for president of Chechnya,
party leader Vladimir Zhirinovskiy told Interfax news agency today. The logistics of selecting a candidate, [according
to Zhirinovskiy] are being handled by the [Duma] deputy Oleg Malyshkin, who previously ran for president of Russia.
Malyshkin, for his part, said he had set his sights on Marat Zaynalabidov.
Readiness to take part in the Chechen election was also expressed by Salambek Maigov, president of the Gromos
[Groznyy-Moscow] Foundation for Economic Cooperation. However, he told us he would only take this decision if the
Kremlin supports his plan of a Chechen settlement.
[Maigov] If the Kremlin sticks to the policy of intimidation, security sweeps, forceful suppression, then they will
need a puppet, somebody who is ready to act on any hints [from Moscow], but who is absolutely incapable of coming up
with his own initiatives.
[Presenter] The authority of power should come from within the Chechen people, Salambek Maigov believes. If there are
more Kremlin appointees, he says, we cannot expect tangible stability in Chechnya.
[Ekho Moskvy radio] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
