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| Caucasus |
| Chechens Go to the Polls for Referendum |
| 2003-03-23 |
| In war-shattered cities and dreary refugee camps, Chechens on Sunday voted in a constitutional referendum that Russia hopes will bring stability after nearly a decade of bloodshed. Voters are being asked to approve a constitution that cements Chechnya's status as part of the Russian Federation and sets the stage for future presidential and parliamentary elections. Polls were to close at noon EST, with the first results expected Monday. I suspect the results are already in. Some 540,000 people are eligible to vote, including 38,000 Russian servicemen permanently stationed in Chechnya, said Chechen administration spokesman Edi Isayev. That should help the 'yes' vote! Two polling booths have also been set up in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia, where tens of thousands of Chechen refugees live, too fearful to return home because of continued fighting between separatists and Russian forces. For the results to be valid, 50 percent of eligible voters must participate. Ah, but for the old Soviet days, when 99.99% of the people voted. The same way. The Russian government and the Moscow-appointed Chechen administration have been campaigning tirelessly, portraying the constitution as a key step toward bringing life back to normal in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin made a personal appeal in a broadcast shown on Chechen television, and in the run-up to the vote, the government pulled out a small contingent of troops and suggested an amnesty for some fighters might be possible "We'll tell you later. Now get out there and vote!" Critics have argued that a new constitution alone cannot end the war and cannot take the place of negotiations with Maskhadov, of course, knows nothing about this. ``If Moscow really wants peace and stability in Chechnya, Putin must leave aside his ambitions and talk to the people who are fighting, and not with those who are loyal to Russia,'' said Aset Musayeva, 45, of Grozny. "I mean, who cares about them? They don't carry guns or wear turbans!" Other Chechens were more hopeful. ``Who knows? Maybe something will change. We are all hoping for that,'' said Sheiman Gapayeva, 52. Twenty-six international observers were monitoring the vote, but security concerns were keeping away key organizations such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 Since this doesn't institutionalize Shar'ia law, set special taxes on the Russian Orthodox Church, or call for the extermination of Jews, there is no chance that it will appease the Islamofascists into laying down their arms, or "our friends, the Saudis" into shutting off the money pipeline. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2003-03-23 18:46:53 |
| #1 Since this doesn't institutionalize Shar'ia law, set special taxes on the Russian Orthodox Church, or call for the extermination of Jews, there is no chance that it will appease the Islamofascists into laying down their arms, or "our friends, the Saudis" into shutting off the money pipeline. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 3/23/2003 6:46:53 PM |