Grozny voters refrained from protest voting.

Residents of Grozny said that they do not plan to express protest through voting or to refuse to show up at the polling station on election days.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", from September 18-20, elections for the head of the republic, local parliament deputies, and municipal campaigns are taking place in Chechnya, where 41 deputy mandates will be filled. In particular, elections for the city council deputies are taking place in Grozny. The preparation for the city council elections is not accompanied by candidate campaigning, residents reported. According to analysts, no real competition is expected in these elections.

On the first day of the three-day voting, three residents of Grozny spoke to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on the condition of anonymity. The material from "Caucasian Knot" is not a public opinion poll, does not claim to be representative, and is not intended to determine the political preferences of voters, intentions to vote for specific candidates, or to predict election results.

None of these Grozny residents mentioned the elections as a way to express protest. One man noted that he did not participate in the voting on September 18 but plans to do so on September 19 or 20.

"It all depends on the availability of free time," he explained. The man noted that for him, "this is precisely the opportunity to choose."

Another resident of the Chechen capital reported that he did not go to the polling station on September 18 due to illness. "I have sinusitis, a high temperature. But I think that during these three days I will rest and definitely go to the elections," he said. The Grozny resident added that for him, elections are the day when "we choose our head."

Another resident of Grozny said that voters "vote in an organized manner" for a certain party.

The elections in Chechnya did not become a form of protest, confirmed a Chechen human rights activist, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I don't think that elections [in Chechnya] can be a form of protest. Most Chechens have never gone to the polls," he told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot". According to him, over the past 25 years, the real turnout at polling stations in the region has not exceeded 30%.

Recall that on August 6, Ramzan Kadyrov was registered as a candidate. On August 11, candidates for the elections of the head of Chechnya were registered Ismail Denilkhanov and Khalid Nakayev.

At the same time, state news agencies "Grozny-inform" and "Chechnya Today", which reported on August 11 about the registration of Denilkhanov and Nakayev as candidates, as of September 15 did not mention them in publications on their websites.

As of 12:02 Moscow time on September 19, "Grozny-inform" continues to publish official data on the progress of the elections, but Ismail Denilkhanov and Khalid Nakayev are still not mentioned in the publications. On the website "Chechnya Today", these candidates also have not been dedicated to any publication since August 11. Unlike Ramzan Kadyrov, they are not mentioned in reports on the progress of voting on September 18 and 19.

According to analysts, the participation of two "technical" candidates in the elections for the head of Chechnya is needed only to demonstrate a formal alternative to Ramzan Kadyrov.

Of the last three votes, in which Ramzan Kadyrov retained the post of head of Chechnya, two were direct elections. In 2021, Kadyrov, according to official data, received 99.7% of the votes. In 2016, his official result was 97.94%. In 2011, direct elections were not held: all deputies of the People's Assembly of Chechnya supported Kadyrov's reappointment for a new term, meaning he was voted for by 100% of the participating deputies.

Materials on the election campaign of 2026 have been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Elections-2026: where will the protest go?".