GROZNY, Russia, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Chechnya has elected Moscow's clear favorite, Alu Alkhanov, as president, with nearly 74 percent of the vote, the BBC reported Monday.
The 47-year-old was one of seven candidates in the weekend polling, which was marred when a man exploded a parcel bomb at a Grozny voting station Sunday, killing only himself.
The vote was held to replace pro-Moscow leader Akhmad Kadyrov, who was killed in a bomb attack May 9. Four of the last five Chechen leaders have been assassinated.
Turnout was more than 79 percent of the eligible electorate just before the voting ended, easily passing the minimum 30 percent required by law for the vote to be valid, the Tass news agency said.
Chechen separatists have denounced the election as a farce, and say there is no guarantee it will bring peace in Chechnya any closer.
The Moscow Times said a cloud hung over the election after two near-simultaneous plane crashes in Russia that killed 89 people last week. Investigators now suspect a Chechen rebel angle in the crashes.
