On March 25 Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed current Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov as the republic's acting head, Sputnik News reports.
"Your term ends on [April] 5, as you just mentioned. Based on what you've done over the past years, first of all for the Chechen people and for those living in the republic, but for Russia as a whole as well, I signed a decree today appointing you the acting head of the Chechen Republic, hoping for your participation in the September elections," Putin told Kadyrov at a televised meeting.