Kyrgyzstan votes amid anger at Soviet-era leadership
Some 1.5 million people were eligible to vote in 39 of the country’s 75 electoral districts where first-round polls failed to produce outright winners. Preliminary results are expected to be announced from today.
Analysts said President Askar Akayev and his family were intent on ensuring the loyalty of the new parliament - previously a somewhat independent body - ahead of October presidential polls at which Mr Akayev, 60, has vowed to stand down. About 2,000 people demonstrated in support of two opposition candidates in the remote western region of Talas overnight on Saturday and were likely to return to the streets if their candidates lost, an election observer in Talas said.
