The Chechen parliament has decided to dissolve itself and hold early elections in September 2016, when Russia also holds a national vote for the State Duma. The republic’s long-time ruler, Ramzan Kadyrov (whose assassinated father just got a bridge named after him in St. Petersburg), made the announcement on Instagram earlier today. Kadyrov says the move is an effort to spare the state budget the costs of a separate election, which would have taken place in 2018 (when Russia next goes to the polls to vote for president).
This September, Chechen voters will also elect their next republic leader. Ramzan Kadyrov is expected to win reelection easily. In February 2011, when he was elected to his current term, he won unanimously. There are roughly 1.3 million people living in Chechnya.