Chechnya strongman and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov wins 99% of vote

With just over half of the votes counted, Kadyrov won 99.6% in the polls, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

The strongman leader of Russia's Chechnya republic, Kadyrov, won over 99 percent of the region's votes in this weekend's parliamentary elections, state media said Monday.

Chechnya's regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov casts his ballot at a polling station during the Parliamentary elections in Akhmat-Yurt, Russia.  (AP Photo)

Kadyrov, a former warlord and ally of President Vladimir Putin, has ruled the predominantly Muslim region for more than a decade and has formed a cult around his family name.

With just over half of the votes counted, Kadyrov won 99.6 percent in the polls, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

Russian opposition figures accused authorities of mass voter fraud as election results on Monday showed the ruling United Russia party winning a sweeping majority in the Duma election.

Kadyrov traditionally wins a sky-high percentage of votes in the volatile North Caucasus region, gaining 97.9 percent of the vote in 2016 parliamentary polls.

His regime has been accused of rights violations like extrajudicial killings and of persecuting activists and sexual minorities.

This month Chechen officials announced that the region will offer thousands of dollars to the artist that completes the best portrait of Kadyrov, who is seen as an important player in Russia's political landscape.

The two wars triggered a wave of emigration, with many Chechens leaving for western Europe.