Chechen authorities start dialogue with residents amid Abdurakhmanov's criticism

Through the programmes "Special Talk" and "Social Advocate", the authorities respond to communal problems in Chechnya, local residents said. The programmes with the participation of officials are intended to show authorities' democracy against the background of the criticism exhibited by the popular blogger, Tumso Abdurakhmanov, members of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations believe.

In the programme "Special Talk" at the Chechen State TV and Radio Company (ChGTRK), launched on the order of the head of Chechnya on January 17, "resident of the republic will be able to run an open dialogue with the authorities," the office of the republic's head and the government has stated.

In Grozny, after residents addressed the Mayor during the "Special Talk", a section of a road was repaired, local residents said. According to their version, earlier they had appealed to the authorities, but the problem was solved only after the live broadcast.

Chechen authorities have launched the programme to simulate the openness after their unsuccessful disputes with Tumso Abdurakhmanov, said Nasir Buluev, the representative of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations at the European international organizations.

The head of the above Assembly, Ruslan Kutaev, also believes that the launch of the above programmes, where officials communicate with the population, is associated with the criticism of the authorities in social networks. At the same time, he is confident that the programmes follow the scenarios, drafted well in advance.

In her turn, Aset Malsagova, a rights defender, believes that such programmes remove social tensions and help officials not to distance themselves off the population.