Second
Chechen War
Aslan Maskhadov, a war hero from Chechnya's first war with Russia, was
elected president in January 1997 and is still considered the leader of the resistance
movement, although Russia no longer acknowledges his leadership. At the time,
Yeltsin welcomed Maskhadov's election, seeing it as a positive sign for future
negotiations between Russia and Chechnya.
Maskhadov
is considered a moderate leader, interested in asserting Chechen
autonomy while cooperating economically and politically with Russia.
However, Maskhadov’s potential as a peacemaker lessened
shortly after his election, as Chechnya became more crime-ridden
and relations soured with rival rebel leaders. The radical warlord
Shamil Basayev, a political rival who became prime minister in
1997, has also lessened Maskhadov's power.
 Basayev
and other warlords joined forces in an effort to take parts of
Chechnya out of Maskhadov's control. Chechen rebels carried out
kidnappings on a mass scale, and author Evangelista believes these
kidnappings were part of a political movement against Maskhadov.
In February 1999, Maskhadov imposed Islamic sharia
law in Chechnya, stripping parliament of its legislative authority and
removing the vice president's
powers, saying it was necessary to ensure the leadership structure fit Islamic
requirements. The BBC reported the president had "bowed to a hardline
minority in the face of his failure to end a wave of lawlessness."
Maskhadov denied his implementation of sharia law meant his government identified
with Islamic extremism, preferring to cast it as a normal code of conduct
for any Muslim to follow.
Leaders opposed to Maskhadov's rule called for his
resignation, saying it was necessary for the adoption of full Islamic law.
One of the members of
the republic's top Islamic body, the Shura, and a well-known field commander,
Movladi Udugov, said, "There should be no such words as president, parliament
or constitution in the state that lives under sharia."
When Maskhadov
refused to step down and join a 35-member council officials suggested
forming to rule Chechnya, hardline opposition leaders broke away
and created a separate government, the Mehk-Shura or State Council,
that they said would follow true sharia law. Russia condemned
the decision, expressing concern that Islamic fundamentalism was
spreading in the region.
|
