Print

Mail

wiki links

Kyrgyz leader's party declared official victor

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's party has won a crushing majority in parliament while his foes have failed to win a single seat, according to official returns released yesterday.

Bakiyev's Ak Jol party won 71 out of 90 parliament seats in Sunday's parliamentary election, the Central Election Commission said. Two smaller parties which have sided with Bakiyev have won the remaining seats.

The opposition Ata Meken party of former parliamentary speaker Omurbek Tekebayev came in second with about 8.3 percent of the vote, but failed to win any seats because it didn't clear the 0.5 percent regional barrier to make it into parliament in Bakiyev's southern stronghold.

The vote results fueled fears about further unrest in the impoverished former Soviet republic, which hosts both US and Russian air bases and occupies a strategic position in energy-rich central Asia.

Tekebayev accused the government of rigging the vote and said his party would appeal in court.

"This is an unprecedented, blatant falsification," he said.

Kyrgyz politics are marked by deep regional divisions: Bakiyev is a southerner while most of his foes come from the north.

The campaign has been more about politicians mobilizing support in their home regions rather than candidates trying to win nationwide support by offering attractive economic and political platforms.

Under election code changes introduced in October, a party needed to clear two barriers to win seats in parliament: it would have to get 5 percent of the nationwide vote and 0.5 percent of the vote in each of the country's regions.

Critics have said the second regional hurdle that was introduced in October, along with other election code changes, was designed as a mechanism to oust opposition politicians from the legislature.

Two days after the vote, Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court voted to change the legal provisions referring to vote count, but officials said that the 0.5 percent regional threshold has remained in place.

Two smaller parties -- the social democrats and the communists -- won 11 and 8 seats respectively. Both have sided with Bakiyev on key issues.

Opposition groups accused the government of plotting to rig the vote to purge parliament of Bakiyev's political rivals. They threatened to hold mass protests if there were any signs of meddling.

Alleged fraud during the 2005 parliamentary vote led to mass protests that drove then-president Askar Akayev from power.

The country has since been in continuous political turmoil, with Bakiyev clashing with defiant lawmakers over the extent of his powers and government appointments and frequent street protests.

Security has also been on the decline; in the south, radical Islamic groups have gained followings since the 1991 Soviet collapse.
This story has been viewed 934 times.