Chechnya’s election commission has officially registered Ramzan Kadyrov as a candidate in the republic’s upcoming gubernatorial election, paving the way for a bid to extend his nearly two-decade rule. In the previous two elections, Kadyrov received more than 97% of the vote, while none of his challengers secured even 1%.

The Chechen Election Commission registered Kadyrov’s candidacy on August 6 after he was nominated by the ruling United Russia party.

Kadyrov is currently the first officially registered candidate. Three people have submitted applications to run, including Ismail Denilkhanov, chairman of Chechnya’s Public Chamber, and Khalid Nakayev, a member of the Chechen parliament.

Kadyrov filed his registration documents on July 8, two days after receiving United Russia’s formal nomination. Earlier, on July 2, his candidacy was unanimously endorsed by Chechnya’s Council of Elders.

Despite accepting the nomination, Kadyrov has repeatedly claimed he was not seeking another term. After being nominated, he said he was “honestly not happy” to be running again, adding that he would prefer someone else to take the position because of its heavy responsibilities. At the same time, he pledged to continue serving if re-elected.

Speculation over whether Kadyrov would seek another term had persisted for months. In December 2025, he said he was “fed up with power,” while leaving open the possibility of running if he received the backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the people of Chechnya.

The uncertainty effectively ended after Kadyrov met Putin in late April. During the meeting, the Russian president said he hoped Chechnya’s residents would once again support the incumbent leader, a statement widely seen as signaling Kremlin approval for another term.

The upcoming election is expected to take place without meaningful political competition. Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya since 2007 and has won every direct election by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 election, each of his three opponents received less than 1% of the vote, while Kadyrov officially secured more than 97%.

The gap widened even further in the 2021 election. According to official results, Kadyrov received 99.7% of the vote, while his two opponents together won less than 0.4%.

Chechnya’s gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on September 20, Russia’s nationwide election day.