Kyrgyzstan annuls parliamentary election results
MOSCOW >> Officials in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday nullified the results of a weekend parliamentary election after mass protests erupted in the capital of Bishkek and other cities, with opposition supporters seizing government buildings overnight and demanding a new vote.
Hundreds of people were injured, one fatally. Members of several opposition parties announced plans to oust the president and form a new government in the Central Asian country.
The decision to cancel the results of Sunday’s vote was made to “prevent tension,” Central Election Commission head Nurzhan Shaildabekova told the Interfax news agency.
Protests broke out in Bishkek and elsewhere after authorities announced early
returns in favor of two parties, one of which is said be closely aligned with President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and another linked to a former top customs official, amid reports of vote-buying and other election fraud.
The country of 6.5 million, one of the poorest to emerge from the former Soviet Union, is strategically located on the border with
China and once was home to a U.S. air base that was used for refueling and logistics for the war in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan also hosts a Russian air base and maintains close ties with Moscow.
Supporters of a dozen opposition parties took to the streets Monday, demanding a new election. Police dispersed crowds with water cannons, tear gas and flash grenades. About 590 people were injured and one person was killed, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Kyrgyzstan’s Health Ministry.
The violent crackdown failed to halt the unrest, however, and protesters broke into the government complex that houses both parliament and the president’s office. A fire broke out in the parliament building but was quickly extinguished, and local media reported some offices were looted.
Other protesters went to Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee of National Security, demanding to free former President Almazbek Atambayev, who was convicted on corruption charges earlier this year and sentenced to over 11 years in prison. Security officers freed Atambayev after negotiations with the protesters.