Kyrgyz Elections Marred By Vote-Rigging Charges
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BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Allegations of vote rigging and tensions between rival political parties dogged parliamentary elections yesterday in Kyrgyzstan, heightening worries about the stability of the nation that hosts the last American base left in Central Asia.
President Bakiyev’s Ak Jol Party faced off against the Social Democratic Party of a former prime minister, Almazbek Atambayev, and the Ata Meken Party, led by a former parliament speaker, Omurbek Tekebayev. Nine smaller parties also were running but had little chance of getting into the single-chamber, 90-seat legislature. First results were expected today. Opposition groups accused the government of plotting to rig the vote to purge parliament of Mr. Bakiyev’s political rivals. They threatened to hold mass protests if there were any signs of meddling.
