Early presidential election in Russia's Chechnya set for Aug. 29

The early presidential election in Russia's Chechnya will be held on August 29, chairman of the republic's elections commission Abdul-Kerim Arsakhanov said Friday.

The Interfax news agency quoted Arsakhanov as saying that the decision came after he had consulted the Russian Central ElectionsCommission and other agencies.

"In light of the fact that the election can be held in no less than 90 and no more than 120 days since the end of the (former) president's powers, we have decided that it will be best to hold them on August 29," Arsakhanov noted.

Former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, who was elected last October, was killed in a bomb explosion during celebrations marking Russia's Victory Day in a stadium in the Chechen capital of Grozny on May 9.

Chechnya, a war-torn republic in Russia's Northern Caucasus, won a status of de-facto independence in 1996 after the pullout of Russian troops.

Russian troops re-entered the lawless region in September 1999 following attacks by Chechnya-based fighters in a neighboring region and a series of deadly bombings blamed on the rebels.

Chechens approved in a referendum in March, 2003 a Kremlin-backed constitution that cemented the region's status as part of Russia.