Ramzan Kadyrov appoints a relative Chechen minister to continue own personnel policy

Ramzan Kadyrov has appointed his cousin Idris Baisultanov the Minister of Education of Chechnya. Earlier, Idris Baisultanov held the post of the deputy head of the Chechen leader's administration. Ramzan Kadyrov continues to build his own "power vertical axis" in Chechnya, local residents suggest.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in June 2019, Idris Baisultanov, a cousin of Ramzan Kadyrov, was appointed a deputy of Galas Taimaskhanov, a Ramzan Kadyrov's fellow villager, who was appointed the head of the Chechen leader's administration.

Ramzan Kadyrov appointed Idris Baisultanov the Minister of Education and Science of Chechnya. The decision was announced at a meeting of the Chechen leader with the heads of the district education departments, the press service of the leader and government of Chechnya reported on February 4.

The appointment of relatives to the ministerial posts has become a part of the personnel policy introduced by the leader of Chechnya, believes Abubakar, a member of a local NGO. "The appointment of a cousin as a minister means that (Ramzan Kadyrov) continues building his vertical axis of power. This has become a common thing," the NGO activist told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In Chechnya, almost the entire management system is affiliated with Ramzan Kadyrov and people close to him. According to the estimates run by the BBC Russian Service, in Chechnya, out of the 158 top-ranking officials, 30% are relatives of Ramzan Kadyrov, 23% are his fellow villagers, and other 12% are friends of the Chechen leader and their relatives.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 5, 2020 at 09:45 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.