The Venezuelan Distraction - How did volatile Chechnya vote almost 100% for Putin?

[ck4829]

Russia's volatile Chechnya, once President Vladimir Putin's biggest headache, ironically turned out to be a big success story for him in Sunday's election, according to official figures.

But the Central Election Commission's figures, showing that Chechens voted in droves for the Kremlin chief's party United Russia, had some locals scratching their heads.

The figures indicated that 99.2 percent of voters in the war-ravaged region of southern Russia had taken part in the poll and 99.3 percent of them had voted for United Russia.

This was the highest vote for Putin anywhere in Russia, where overall turnout was 62 percent and just over 64 percent of votes were cast for United Russia.

...

Putin sent Russian soldiers into Chechnya in 1999 to resume a war against rebels which killed thousands, destroyed swathes of Grozny and forced even more to flee.

http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL03585550._CH_.2400

[Olney Blue]

1. Good question.

[MADem]

2. Dieboldi Russkaya, comrade? NT

[SharonAnn]

3. Hmm, only Putin supporters voted? Only Putin votes got counted? So many ways.

[Deja Q]

4. Bush did it!

:sarcasm:

Putin probably moved his own supporters into the region. That or people were intimidated by him...

:shrug:

[PSPS]

5. Hmmm. Reminds me of "Jews for Buchanan"

[Toots]

6. Saddam never even got 99% of the vote..

I guess Putin does a better job of terrorising people than Bush* does. Chechnya is the place that wants a united Russia the very least...This is sort of like Bush* receiving 99% of the vote in San Francisco. Never hap see