Mixed reactions at Chechen poll

By Artyom Liss
BBC reporter in Grozny

Singing, socialising, and scepticism: the Chechen elections received a mixture of responses from the local population.

There was dancing at polling stations - but only for the cameras

As you drive in Grozny, one of the first of the first things to catch the eye is the remains of a gigantic Soviet monument - a metal needle pointing at the sky.

At the base, huge iron letters cry out to everybody passing by - protect the peace.

But the monument itself has been bombed to the ground. Look carefully and it will become obvious you are at the heart of a conflict which has dragged on for 10 years.

On election day Grozny was almost deserted. Apart from our bus travelling under the guard of heavily armed soldiers, there was virtually no traffic on the roads.

Even at the local market, stands were bare. No sellers, no customers - just election posters and a Russian soldier at a checkpoint.

Locals say that many residents fled the city shortly before polls opened, fearing an attack by the rebels. Just a week earlier, more than 200 separatists entered the city, bringing bloodshed and mayhem with them.

Unexpected shows

But in this ghost town there were some places that were hives of activity.

As our bus drove up to one of the polling stations - past the checkpoint and into what used to be a wide tree-lined avenue - a few dozen people standing outside suddenly burst into action. There was singing and dancing, smiles and happy faces all round.

In the centre of the crowd stood a bride in an impeccably white wedding dress. But before me there was no groom, no happy relatives. She looked somewhat embarrassed, as if not knowing exactly what she was there for.

The show was over in just 10 minutes and as soon as the cameras were switched off, the whole crowd jumped into their cars and disappeared with a screech of tyres.

This was the picture we saw almost everywhere in the republic.

One polling station was policed by elders of the village. At another there was more singing and dancing and at a third one a musician, guarded by a soldier with a Kalashnikov, was using his electric piano to produce rock-like music - there were crowds everywhere.

But as soon as we walked into a polling station, the picture suddenly became dramatically different.

In one village, the place was full but people seemed to be socialising rather than voting. We only saw a couple of ballot cards in half an hour .

And another polling station was completely deserted, apart from election observers who were intently studying biographies of the candidates, probably for the lack of other things to do.

And the winner is...

Everyone we did see vote said they had picked for Alu Alkhanov, the man supported by the Kremlin to become the next Chechen president. He will bring peace, stability and investment, one local resident told us.

A landslide win has put Alu Alkhanov into a dangerous job

His background lies with the security services, and if somebody can restore order then certainly he can, said another voter. And peace and security is exactly what Chechnya needs now.

On election day, each of the polling stations was surrounded by heavily armed men, some of them from the Russian army and some from the pro-Moscow Chechen militia, wearing black T-shirts with a photograph of Alu Alkhanov.

Even the winner of this poll himself admits that the republic is far from peaceful. Whatever programmes and TV channels might be saying, Mr Alkhanov acknowledges that one of his main priorities will be to bring peace to the region.

Exactly how he is going to do this is of course another matter: the new president has already ruled out any talks with the rebels unless they admit errors of their ways and apologise to the Chechen people.

And the rebels in turn have threatened to kill him and to launch even more attacks on whoever backs Moscow.

The ordinary Chechens caught in the crossfire seem almost desperate.

"Of course he won, whoever goes on TV with Putin always wins," Rostam, a resident of Grozny told us.

Rostam did not vote this time and has concerns about how legitimate Mr Alkhanov's presidency will be.

Even the new Chechen leader himself seemed to be slightly worried about what lies in store for him.

After his first presidential press conference, held bizarrely at the Grozny electricity board, he left the building surrounded by a sea of armed guards.

They will probably escort him everywhere he goes now, but then this job is one of the most dangerous in Russia.

Three of the last four Chechen presidents were killed and unless the situation changes drastically, guns are going to play a crucial role in Alu Alkhanov's rule.