New Chechen president sworn in

Alkhanov has called on Chechens to resist extremism

The new president of Russia's troubled Chechen Republic, Alu Alkhanov, has been sworn in amid heavy security at a ceremony in the capital, Grozny.

Mr Alkhanov, the region's former interior minister, was the pro-Moscow candidate in elections in August.

He won a landslide victory although his main rival was barred from running and there has been widespread concern about the fairness of the poll.

His predecessor, Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated in Grozny in May.

High alert

The threat of assassination by Chechen rebels meant hundreds of police and security officials were placed on alert in the capital of the war-torn region.

If my own life was my prime concern, then I doubt I would have ever returned to this republic Alu Alkhanov From policeman to president

Checkpoints with tanks and troops were stationed on all major routes into the city. The time and location of the ceremony were kept secret until just beforehand.

"Today we open a new page in the history of our people. Only together may we be victorious over evil and do away with terrorism on our land," Mr Alkhanov said.

The ceremony was held in a blue tent inside the government complex, with guests entering one at a time through security cordons and metal detectors.

Mr Alkhanov sat alone behind a desk on the podium, faced by some 500 guests.

Four times lucky

In an interview with Russia's Trud newspaper published on Tuesday, Chechnya's new president said he understood he was now the prime target for Chechen rebels.

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The Chechen conflict

"If my own life was my prime concern, then I doubt I would have ever returned to this republic," he said, adding that he had already survived four assassination attempts.

Four of the last five Chechen leaders have been assassinated.

Mr Alkhanov went on to promise to use better intelligence rather than tanks and troops to fight the rebels.

Separatist rebels leading the revolt against Russian rule in the region have called the presidential election a sham and rejected the winner even before the result was announced.

The Chechen electoral commission said Mr Alkhanov, Moscow's preferred candidate in the poll, received 73.67% of the votes.

However, a US State Department spokesman said the vote "did not meet international standards for a democratic election".