Former Soviet states accused of massive electoral fraud

PARLIAMENTARY elections have passed off peacefully in Kyrgyzstan despite opposition claims of vote rigging, electoral fraud and media manipulation in the Central Asian state.

The capital Bishkek last night was calm and Ukraine-style mass demonstrations failed to materialise. However Roza Otunbayeva, leader of the Ata-Zhurt (Fatherland) opposition party, has insisted the polls are flawed.

“The elections are unfair and are likely be followed by a wave of popular protests,” she said.

Ms Otunbayeva was barred from registering as a candidate because as ambassador to Britain, she failed to fulfil criteria demanding all candidates have lived in Kyrgyzstan for the preceding five years.

The results are crucial to President Askar Akayev, who is due to stand down as head of state in October after 15 years in power. If he chooses to resign, as the constitution requires him to, it will mark the first peaceful hand-over of power in Central Asia since the collapse of the USSR.

Several independent and pro-opposition news sites have also been shut down for the duration of the vote and the weekend edition of the leading pro-opposition newspaper MSN had the electricity supply to its printers cut. Power was only restored when the US Embassy loaned two generators to the printing plant.

Parliamentary elections in neighbouring Tajikistan, the first since a UN-led peace process following years of civil war, also passed off without violence and enjoyed strong voter turnout.

However, opposition parties alleged systematic vote-rigging and other breaches during polling.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which sent 130 observers, said the elections were disappointing.

“We witnessed direct falsification. The extent of these irregularities does raise doubts about the integrity of the tabulation process,” OSCE mission chief Peter Eicher said.

The balloting on Sunday pitted a fledgling opposition against the party of strongman president Emomali Rakhmonov.

Critics accuse Mr Rakhmonov of stifling dissent and say recent steps - such as a referendum two years ago giving him the right to seek re-election until 2020 - threaten the country’s stability and hopes for democracy.

The president rose to power during a five-year war between pro-government forces and an Islamic opposition that left 100,000 dead and devastated the nation of six million people.