Elections of Chechen president can lead to civil war in the republic

The elections of the Chechen president should be held before December 2003 and should not coincide with the federal elections to the State Duma, Russian President's special envoy for human rights and liberties in the Chechen Republic Abdul-Khakim Sultygov told a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

"The Chechen Constitution which the Chechen people voted for on March 23 allows to hold the elections in September already," Sultygov said.

According to him, if the elections coincide, candidates will be in unequal conditions. "Only a few candidates afford an address with their programmes on the Central Television and this is not honest," Sultygov said.

In addition, deputies could become observers at the presidential elections, he noted. "If the elections of the Chechen president will be held in December they will coincide with the State Duma elections and parliamentarians will be busy with their private affairs," Sultygov said.

As a result, the elections in Chechnya can be found invalid and a civil war may start, Sultygov noted.