Chechen presidential election to be monitored by foreign observers?

Officials from 12 international organisations have been invited to attend the Chechen presidential election as observers, Abdul-Kerim Arsakhanov, Chairman of Chechnya's Electoral Commission, announced on Monday.

He said invitations had been sent out to the Democratic Institutes and Human Rights Bureau of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and two of the most influential Islamic organisations, the Arab League and the Islamic Conference Organisation. Apart from those, the election will be monitored by State Duma deputies and representatives of Russian and foreign media, he added.

The Chechen presidential election is scheduled for October 5. In order to be elected president, a candidate will have to collect more than 50% of the vote. The election will be invalid if less than 30% of voters turn up.