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Official: No Chechen Poll in Fall

GROZNY -- Local elections in the rebel republic of Chechnya will not be held Nov. 5 as planned because separatists there have failed to hand over all their weapons, Yakub Sabirov, chairman of Chechnya's central election commission has said, according to Interfax.


There has not been official word from Moscow, but prospects for elections in the war-ravaged republic have seemed dim for quite some time.


Nightly skirmishes continue and neither side has fully complied with a July 30 agreement calling for the Chechens to lay down their guns and for the Kremlin to withdraw most troops.


Sabirov said the decision to postpone elections for a new Chechen legislature had been made by the Russian-installed government. He said officials were sharply divided on the issue.

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