Experts fear for Ramzan Kadyrov's life in case of his appointment president of Chechnya

Yesterday, October 5, Ramzan Kadyrov, Chairman of the government of the Chechen Republic, was 30. The last obstacle has disappeared as stipulated in Article 66 of Chechnya's Constitution on his way of becoming president of the Republic. Correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" asked a number of experts to answer a question on Ramzan Kadyrov's prospects to take the post of the head of this Russia's most restless region.

"First of all, presidents are not appointed. A person may be appointed a general-governor, a supreme shepherd, but not a president. The name should match the contents," thinks Professor Sergey Arutyunov, Doctor of History, Head of the Caucasus Section of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). "Secondly, this appointment if made will only fix the actual status quo." By the words of the scientist, Kadyrov is today's de facto person No. 1 in Chechnya and really manages the Republic.

"Will Putin want to appoint Kadyrov president of Chechnya? You better ask Putin. I remember that he himself, in due course, did not want Yeltsin to appoint him his successor. Does Ramzan want to be president? I think he doesn't want it pretty much, as it will expose him too much," Sergey Arutyunov, Correspondent Member of the RAS says. In his opinion, if Ramzan Kadyrov becomes the head of Chechen Republic not de facto but de jure, he will increase his responsibility and reduce safety, and he may not like it.

"Who will become president of Chechnya - is s prerogative of the Chechen nation: Ramzan Kadyrov or the current Alu Alkhanov. With the acting leader of the Republic, it is not quite a Moslem tradition to speak of the prospects of taking his place by another politician, who is now a rank lower and in president's subordination," Kamilzhan Kalandarov, Doctor of Philosophy and Chairman of the "Al-Khak" (Justice) All-Russian Public Organization Against Extremism, Terrorism and Xenophobia", says.

"It's hard for me to say how it all will turn out. Anyhow, one should outgo from ethical considerations - they have their Republic's president, and if Vladimir Putin appoints Kadyrov to this post - this is his right. I think that debating on the issue with the efficient and live president, moreover, in the media, causes a moral damage to the image of the Chechens and of power structures of Chechnya. Ramzan Kadyrov, I know, is a person of high culture and pride, therefore such debates and excessive accenting his prospects, I think, are not to his liking," Kalandarov believes.

Svetlana Gannushkina, member of the Human Rights Board at the RF President, Chairperson of the "Grazhdanskoe Deistvie" (Public Action) Committee for Refugee Assistance and member of the Board of the "Memorial" Human Rights Centre (HRC) thinks that Ramzan Kadyrov's appointment to the post of Chechnya president is pretty probable. "It's quite possible that Ramzan Kadyrov will become president of Chechnya, but I don't think he will survive for long in this role. I'm afraid also he is far from being in safety," Svetlana Gannushkina says reminding of the fate of Chechnya Premier's father and other Ichkeria leaders.

The correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" in Chechnya reported earlier that yesterday the Republic held solemn festivities. As of October 4, the Republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs has been switched over to intense security service mode. The motor traffic in the central part of Chechen capital was restricted yesterday, and the streets were patrolled by strengthened militia tours of duty.