Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Tuesday setting Nov. 27 as the date for the first parliamentary elections in Chechnya and Chechen officials promised a transparent and democratic poll.

The presidential decree, announced by Putin's Press Secretary Alexei Gromov, confirmed the date announced last month by Minister of Regional Development Vladimir Yakovlev.

The Chechen parliament will have two chambers. The upper house, the Republican Council, will have 21 seats and the lower house, the People's Assembly, will have 40 members, 20 of them to be elected in individual constituencies and as many on party tickets.

Currently, the Chechen State Council, which comprises administrative heads and representatives of residents from districts and cities in Chechnya, has been acting as parliament.

Chechen State Council Chairman Taus Dzhabrailov hailed the upcoming elections and promised a "transparent and democratic" poll in Chechnya.

"It will be a very serious step for the political settlement in the republic, which will give us a complete legislative structure - - a parliament," Dzhabrailov told the Interfax news agency Tuesday.

"The elections will be transparent and democratic. Representatives of all political parties registered in the republic will be able to participate," Dzhabrailov said. It is important to have all political parties represented in the Chechen parliament, he said.

Source: Xinhua