2003: NEW CONSTITUTION, NEW PRESIDENT.

In an interview with ORT state television, Aleksandr Veshnyakov, chair of the Russian Central Election Commission, deemed it likely that a referendum on the issue of a new pro-Moscow Chechen constitution would be held in March of 2003 (RIA Novosti, December 5). The following day, the head of the pro-Moscow Chechen administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, declared that elections for a president of Chechnya would be held “not later than in October-November of 2003.” Kadyrov emphasized that he is a candidate for that post (Newsru.com, December 6).