KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyzstan votes in poll, opposition to rally

Record ID: 277320

  • Title: KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyzstan votes in poll, opposition to rally
  • Date: 24th July 2009
  • Summary: BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN (JULY 23, 2009) (REUTERS) OPPOSITION CANDIDATE ALMAZBEK ATAMBAYEV WALKING INTO POLLING STATION/ ATAMBAYEV BEING REGISTERED FOR VOTE PEOPLE FILLING BALLOT PAPERS MAN CASTING BALLOT ATAMBAYEV SHAKING HANDS WITH PEOPLE ATAMBAYEV DROPPING BALLOT INTO BOX BALLOT BOX WOMAN CASTING BALLOT (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OPPOSITION CANDIDATE ALMAZBEK ATAMBAYEV ,
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kyrgyzstan
  • Country: Kyrgyzstan
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACF0N94L1H0REYI7LBU49KU3I0
  • Story Text: Kyrgyzstan votes in election polls, opposition candidate Almazbek Atambayev says 'people will march' ahead of results.
    Kyrgyzstan's opposition leader, Almazbek Atambayev voted in presidential elections on Thursday (July 23) and said he would lead thousands of supporters through the capital ahead of the election results.
    "People will march in an organised way, they want to hear what the central election commission has got to say, we don't want the repeat of the year 2007," opposition challenger Atambayev said after casting his ballot.
    Kyrgyzstan, a Muslim nation key to U.S. military operations in Afghanistan is at the heart of U.S.-Russian competition for control over Central Asia.
    It is home to U.S. and Russian military air bases and its stability is vital to efforts to prevent the spread of violence from nearby Afghanistan across the vast ex-Soviet region.
    Incumbent Kurmanbek Bakiyev, accused by the opposition of cracking down on dissent, is certain to win the vote.
    The West and Russia are watching Kyrgyzstan's election closely for any signs of instability.
    Director for the OSCE office for Democratic Institutions and Human rights, elections observer in Kyrgyzstan, Janez Lenarcic said there were some concerns in the pre election day period.
    "We have already been here for several weeks with our long-term observers, who have been posted around the country, all around the country, we had twelve teams of long -term observers and they have already produced two interim reports, specifying some of the concerns in the pre-election day period," Lenarcic said.
    Election results are due after 1600 GMT, Atambayev said. The central election commission could not give the exact time.
    Kyrgyz police fired in the air and used batons to break up a group of activists who rallied against what the opposition described as election fraud, the opposition and a local official said on Thursday.
    A spokesman for Bakiyev's main opposition challenger, Atambayev, said 1,000 people had gathered in the town of Balykchi to protest over the conduct of the election.
    Omurbek Rakhmanov, a senior administration official in Balykchi, confirmed the incident but said the crowd was smaller than 1,000. He told Reuters by telephone no one was injured.
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