The Kremlin's candidate was heading for a landslide victory in Chechnya's presidential election with a quarter of the votes counted early today, with critics crying foul.

Pro-Russian administrator Akhmad Kadyrov had secured over 83% of votes counted, the electoral commission announced following yesterday's vote in the breakaway Russian republic.

This makes it "impossible for the other candidates to overtake or even approach" Kadyrov, the commission's chief Abdul-Kerim Arsakhanov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Kadyrov's nearest rival, Abdula Bugayev, had secured just 6,6% of the vote, Arsakhanov added, citing reports telephoned in from regional electoral commissions.

Of the 112 500 ballots counted so far, only 95 000 were registered as valid, Arsakhanov said.

"A lot of poorly educated people took part and many ballots were irregularly filled up".

Chechnya's estimated 560 000 registered voters had a choice of seven candidates, but two of Kadyrov's main rivals withdrew during the campaign and a third, Malik Saidullayev, a wealthy businessman and former prime minister, was disqualified due to alleged irregularities.

Critics have also contested the poll's legitimacy on the grounds that it took place in the midst of a war and that it was massively skewed in favour of Kadyrov.

The poll, which took place amid a high security presence, came almost exactly four years after 80 000 Russian troops poured into the Caucasus republic in what Moscow called a lightning-strike "anti-terror operation" to put down a separatist insurgency.

The republic's 426 polling stations closed at 16:00 GMT, with the electoral commission's chief Arsakhanov announcing an impressive turnout rate of 86,8%.

The complete provisional results were expected this afternoon. – Sapa-AFP.