Ramzan Kadyrov has been re-elected to a fifth term at the head of the Chechen Republic after receiving 99.85% of the vote, with 100% of ballots counted, according to data released by Russia’s Central Election Commission on Monday 21 September 2026. Kadyrov, who stood as a candidate for the United Russia party, recorded his highest result in a direct election for the republic’s governor.
Rivals’ results compared with Kadyrov
He received 97.94% of the vote in the 2016 election, while data from the 2021 election showed him receiving 99.7%; other reports put his share at 99.73% at the time. Ismail Denilkhanov, the candidate of A Just Russia, received 0.05% of the vote, the same share as Khalid Nakayev, the candidate of the Communist Party of Russia.
The Chechen election commission said final turnout was 95.19%, with a total of 831,946 voters taking part. Initial coverage had reported the result as approximately 99.8%, before the detailed figure of 99.85% was announced. Kadyrov’s re-election took place as part of a Russian vote that included State Duma elections, regional legislative elections and gubernatorial elections in several regions.
Kadyrov’s continued rule and relationship with the Kremlin
The results showed broad gains for Kremlin-backed candidates and parties, amid the continuing Russian war in Ukraine and the widespread absence of candidates opposed to it, according to reports on the elections. Kadyrov has served as Chechnya’s governor since April 2011 and has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ramzan Kadyrov
Head of the Chechen Republic
- 2022
Participation in the war in Ukraine
He has repeatedly declared his loyalty to the Russian president and supports the war in Ukraine, confirming that Chechen forces have taken part in the fighting since it began in 2022. Kadyrov’s continued leadership of the North Caucasus republic is linked to the broad latitude he enjoys in managing its affairs in exchange for maintaining stability in a region that saw an armed insurgency against Moscow during the 1990s and the early 2000s.
- 2004
The beginning of his political rise
Kadyrov’s rise to power began after his father, Akhmat Kadyrov, was killed in a bombing carried out by Chechen rebels in 2004. His government later faced repeated accusations from human rights organisations of widespread abuses, allegations he denies.
Previous elections in Chechnya have also faced criticism from international observers, while Kadyrov describes such criticism as Western-backed attempts to undermine his rule.
