Chechnya's official comments on republic's Constitution

A referendum on the draft of the Constitution of the Chechen Republic willbe held in Chechnya by December 2002, Edi Isayev, head of the informationdepartment of Chechnya's office in Moscow, told journalists. According tohim, the presidential elections in Chechnya will take place in summer andparliamentary elections in autumn 2003.The official pointed out that a special commission that consisted ofrepresentatives of the consultative council of Chechnya's administrationhas been working on the Constitution draft for six months. He stressed thatthe work on this document had been practically completed and it would bepublished in the near future.Isayev specified that, according to the draft of the Constitution, a personwho has constantly lived in Chechnya for 10 years can be elected thepresident of the republic..