Chechen public sector employees report about orders for joining "Edinaya Rossiya" Party

Employees of schools and hospitals are threatened with dismissals and obliged to write applications for joining the ruling party, public sector employees from Chechnya report. The complaints were voiced after Magomed Daudov had been appointed the secretary of the regional branch of the "Edinaya Rossiya" (United Russia) Party, local residents say. Ramzan Kadyrov declared the reports of public sector employees were rumours and mentioned as an example the non-partisan head of the Chechen Ministry for Public Health.

In November 13, in one of the schools in Grozny, a principal distributed among his subordinates the applications for joining the "Edinaya Rossiya" Party and demanded to fill them out, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by teacher Marina.

The teachers were also required to attract parents of the schoolchildren to join the ruling party, noted teacher Larisa.

A demand to write an application for joining the "Edinaya Rossiya" Party was accompanied by the threat of dismissal, said a teacher from Grozny.

Employees of a Grozny hospital also faced the requirements to fill out application forms, medical officer Malika said.

Aslan, an employee of a Chechen NGO, notes that the information about coercion of public sector employees to join the "Edinaya Rossiya" Party comes amid reports of a high level of confidence in Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov in Chechnya.

Let us remind you that in Chechnya, public sector employees repeatedly report that, under the threat of dismissal, they are obliged to attend sports matches, rallies, and subbotniks (voluntary cleaning works on Saturdays).