Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Biskek (Agenzia Fides) – High social tension and high risk for disorders have marked the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan, a central Asian nation that gained its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet empire.
Following the vote, which declared that incumbent Premier Kurmanbek Bakiev had one, with nearly 85% of the vote, the President deployed 5,000 police in the capital to ensure public order. The opposition, led by Almazbek Atambaiev, dropping out of the race on the eve of the vote, called for demonstrations in the streets to protest a vote that he called illegitimate for supposed abuses and poll-rigging and asked that the vote be canceled. The police intervened to break up the demonstration in the city of Balykchi, in the northern part of the country, and in the capital clashes were reported.
The Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) showed great concern duringf the electoral campaign, noting that the opposition has been penalized in terms of resources and presence in the mass media and the elections have not respected the international standards of legality and transparency.
After the uprisings in 2005, which overthrew the autocratic regime of President Askar Akayev, the country took its first steps on the path of democracy, facing serious social and sanitary problems. The internal conditions, marked by unemployment and poverty, have led to migrations of large segments of the population, mainly to Russia. The country is considered one of the poorest and most unstable in central Asia, however it is a cause for dispute among the leading powers as a result of its strategic position, on the border with Afghanistan. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/7/2009)
