Maskhadov’s real influence in Chechnya diminishingPrague Watchdog's correspondent O.B., North Caucasus - The recent presidential election in Chechnya had a hidden agenda for the newly elected Chechen Moscow-backed leader Akhmad Kadyrov, who won a landslide victory last Sunday in an election that was denounced as a sham by human rights groups and regarded with skepticism internationally.
One of the most important issues for Kadyrov immediately after the elections was to denounce his old rival Aslan Maskhadov, the President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Maskhadov had been elected in January 1997 and his presidency was officially acknowledged by the international community.
Although Maskhadov’s real influence has been fading since the beginning of the second Chechen war, he still remains a symbol of pride and dignity for some Chechens. Prior to the election, which he called illegal, he vowed to "rid our country of the occupiers and put an end to relations between Russia and Chechyna, no matter how difficult the task."
But Kadyrov, after his win, refused to hold talks with Maskhadov and predicted that “his fighters in 2-3 weeks or a month will switch sides." He also warned Maskhadov that the best way out was for him to stand trial.
"I am prepared and he [Maskhadov] knows this, but I think he also knows that it is better for him to stand trial than to be destroyed," Kadyrov stated at a news conference at the Interfax central office on October 10. Kadyrov also added that other options for Maskhadov could be "either political asylum or to reunite with his family in Malaysia."
In Kadyrov's opinion, the October 5 presidential election demonstrated the public's attitude towards Maskhadov. "If people had supported him and his party, they wouldn’t have voted as they did," Kadyrov said. He cited the outcome of the Chechen constitutional referendum as another indication of the public’s mistrust of Maskhadov, adding "ninety percent voted to adopt the constitution, a constitution we never had before."
However, the situation itself is far more complicated. “Maskhadov is still a symbol of pride and independence for many people,” said Daud, a man from the town of Shali. “Yet you can‘t live in dreams now. His power is gone and no one believes that he and his people will ever be able to return again,” he added.
According to Daud‘s colleagues, Maskhadov damaged his public reputation by being unable or unwilling to distance himself from radical Islamists like Shamil Basayev and exert real control over the Chechen rebel factions.
“Chechens only understand the language of power, a language he spoke when he was in command of the Chechen troops during the first war. Yet after the 1996 Khasav-Yurt peace accords, he lost influence and became incompetent,” said Murat, a man from Grozny.
“He still remains as a symbol of our pride and resistance against Russians but that’s about it. The situation today is different; Kadyrov exerts real power here, whereas Maskhadov is hiding somewhere in the mountains,” he adds.
Despite the public’s low rating of Kadyrov in Chechnya, there are a growing number of people who publicly express dissatisfaction with Maskhadov. “He is a dead man. It’s not easy for many Chechens and Western journalists to admit this, but it is an actuality,” said Ali, another man from Grozny.
“Moscow consistently refuses to talk to him; Kadyrov manipulates elections and gains real power; and all Maskhadov does is condemn terrorist acts by Chechen radicals that he doesn’t control. He is no longer a leader,” Ali concluded. (E,T) |
