World IN BRIEF : RUSSIA : Ingush Republic Votes for President

Voters in the newly formed Ingush Republic trudged through snow to choose the first president of the mainly Muslim region in the troubled Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia. The Interfax news agency said that by midafternoon, about 72% of the 150,000 people registered to vote had cast ballots in the autonomous republic within the Russian Federation. The Itar-Tass news agency said that the lone candidate, Maj. Gen. Ruslan Aushev, who was decorated for bravery during the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan, would be elected if more than 25% of the population voted and he received more than 50% of the votes. Official results are expected today or Tuesday.