Over 770 people have filed their bids for participation in the parliamentary elections in Chechnya, a republic in Russia’s North Caucasus, election commission chair Ismail Baikhanov said on Wednesday, August 14. At a meeting with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Baikhanov said more than 200 of them were women. “I want to say that none of the 17 parties that applied for participation in the parliamentary elections has been rejected. All of them have nominated their candidates. A total of 776 people will run in the elections. More than half of them are representatives of other ethnic groups - Russians, Dargins, Kumyks and others,” Baikhanov. Over 200 women and over 400 young people under 30 are among candidates. According to Kadyrov, the large number of parties participating in the elections is a sign of democratic society. “More than half of the candidates represent ethnic minorities of the republic. This means that people trust us and want to work with us. I think this indicates that the upcoming elections will be democratic and safe in nature,” Kadyrov said, adding that the elections must be “as fair and transparent as possible.” Parliamentary elections in Chechnya will be held on September 8. At the previous elections in 2008, seven parties and about 400 candidates were competing for 41 seats in the republic’s parliament.