Grozny residents shared their plans for the last day of voting.

Two residents of Grozny reported that they decided to go to the polling stations on the last day of the three-day voting for the elections. Another citizen said that he had already participated in the voting.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", following the first day of the three-day voting, three residents of Grozny told "Caucasian Knot" that they do not plan to express protest through voting or refuse to show up at the polling station during the election days. In turn, a Chechen human rights activist pointed out that "most Chechens have never participated in elections," and over the past 25 years, the actual turnout at polling stations in Chechnya has not exceeded 30%.

On September 19, a resident of Grozny, Marat, told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that he would go to vote only on September 20.

A resident of the city, Aslanbek, shared similar plans. He explained to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that by going to the elections, he "expresses his opinion and fulfills his civic duty."

Another resident of Grozny, Ibrahim, told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that he voted on September 19.

According to the Chechen election commission, turnout exceeded 85% in two days

As of the second day of voting, the voter turnout in Chechnya was 85.24%, announced the republic's election commission on the evening of September 19 in its Telegram channel. "748,640 voters participated in the voting," the publication states.

The atypical position of Grozny residents, who reported on September 18 that they do not plan to refuse to show up at polling stations, was expressed on September 19 by a reader of "Caucasian Knot" with the nickname sherri.

I agree with the unnamed human rights activist that at most 30 percent of voters participate in elections in Chechnya.

"I don't know what is going on with these three Grozny residents who expressed their views on their participation in the ongoing elections, but not everyone thinks like them. Of several dozen of my acquaintances, only five or six people went to vote, if I take their word for it. And that was only because they are budget employees. Also, most residents of Grozny, and indeed the entire republic, as usual, ignored this event. People understand that, in the grand scheme of things, their votes do not really matter; everything has already been decided in advance, and they do not want to be just a 'crowd,' as one of my friends put it. I agree with the unnamed human rights activist that at most 30 percent of voters participate in elections in Chechnya," he wrote in his comment.

Recall that on August 6, Ramzan Kadyrov was registered as a candidate for the elections for the head of the republic, and on August 11, Ismail Denilkhanov and Khalid Nakayev were registered. According to analysts, the participation of the two "technical" candidates in the elections for the head of Chechnya is needed only to demonstrate a formal alternative to Ramzan Kadyrov.

The state news agencies "Grozny-inform" and "Chechnya Today," which reported on August 11 about the registration of candidates Denilkhanov and Nakayev, have not mentioned them in their publications since then. As of 09:20 Moscow time on September 20, these news agencies continue to publish official data on the progress of the elections and materials complimentary to Ramzan Kadyrov, but Denilkhanov and Nakayev are still not mentioned in the publications.

Of the last three elections, in which Ramzan Kadyrov retained the position 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 supported Kadyrov's reappointment for a new term, meaning he received 100% of the votes of those who participated in the voting.

"Caucasian Knot" has prepared a reference "Election campaign in the North Caucasus and Southern Federal District in 2026". Materials about this campaign have been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Elections-2026: where will the protest go?".