|
|
|
|
Restoring
Constitutional Order |
|
|
The reality,
however, is that ethnic Chechen administrators who collaborate with
the federal authorities become prime assassination targets of the
terrorists. Despite the fact that the separatists have been
contained militarily, with their organized armed detachments routed
or dispersed, hopes of outright victory in the near future remain
dim, and landmine and guerrilla warfare is likely to drag on for a
long time. A spate of Chechen suicide bombings also followed
throughout 2003. |
In May 2004, President Kadyrov was killed in a bomb blast.
The killing ensured that his son,
Ramzan Kadyrov, would emerge as the
region's single most powerful political figure. Indeed, he was
groomed for the position by Vladimir Putin.
Ramzan Kadyrov was appointed the Chechen Prime Minister under the
new president of Chechnya, Kremlin backed Alu Alkhanov. Mr Kadyrov
quickly became the de facto supreme ruler of the republic.
In March 2007, Ramzan Kadyrov was
elected president of Chechnya. It is thought that he has
overall control of both the Chechen oil industry as well as the
large amounts of reconstruction money provided by Moscow. The
Kremlin insists he has brought stability and overseen the dramatic
rebuilding of the republic's war-ravaged capital, Grozny.
The legal process of restoring constitutional
order in the republic seems to have been completed. But some
Russians question whether Moscow has chosen the right man. They
point to Mr Kadyrov's youth and lack of
education. They also ask whether Mr
Kadyrov, having received absolute power, might be tempted to forge a
much more independent path.
It remains to
be seen whether the “re-Chechenization” can ensure the province’s
long-term stability.
|
|
|
|
