World

Kyrgyzstan votes in unpredictable presidential poll

October 15, 2017
A Kyrgyz woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sunday. — AP
A Kyrgyz woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Sunday. — AP

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — Voters in ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan were choosing their next president on Sunday in an unpredictable election stoking fears of instability.

Voting began at 0200 GMT and was due to end 12 hours later. But after a tough campaign and with the electorate split, a second round of voting is a strong possibility, analysts say.

On a warm autumn day in the capital Bishkek, voters could be seen happily posing for selfies with both leading candidates — pro-government Sooronbai Jeenbekov and opposition challenger Omurbek Babanov, a correspondent said.

But fears of potential unrest and political confrontation have cast a cloud over the election in this landlocked, resource-poor republic of six million that looks to Russia for political support and to China for much-needed investment.

Just over three million Kyrgyz nationals are eligible to vote in Sunday’s election which was taking place in a festive atmosphere.

Nine hours into the vote, turnout stood at around 40 percent, official figures showed.

Hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz also live and work abroad, mostly in Russia, but fewer than 19,000 of them submitted biometric data and registered in time to participate in the vote.

Early on Sunday, the security services said they had arrested a former MP on suspicion of planning to cause trouble after the results are announced, prompting concern among some voters.

The journey from uprisings in 2005 and 2010 to a vote that could secure an unprecedented peaceful transfer of power between two elected presidents has not been easy.

President Almazbek Atambayev’s six years at the helm of the country have been dogged by upheavals and crackdowns although he has avoided major political instability.

His own election in 2011 came on the back of political and ethnic violence the year before that left hundreds dead.

Now Atambayev, 61, is stepping down with two main candidates vying to succeed him for a single-term constitutional limit that contrasts sharply with the rule-for-life political culture that exists in neighboring Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

But he has made it very clear which of the names on the ballot he would like to replace him.

Jeenbekov, 58, a member of the Social Democratic Party Atambayev is most closely associated with, has benefited from favourable coverage in the pro-government media according to monitors.

Speaking at a polling station in the capital, Jeenbekov said he had “cast a vote for stability” and would continue the president’s work.

Atambayev has regularly criticized Jeenbekov’s chief rival Babanov, 47, who authorities say may have incited ethnic hatred with comments made during a speech on the campaign trail.

On Sunday, Atambayev said authorities “had jailed and would continue to jail” politicians planning unrest after polling stations close “so that they don’t spoil our celebration,” he said.

“Elections should be a celebration.”

Atambayev also claimed Babanov’s representatives had offered him $20 million to endorse the former oil trader, but offered no proof of the allegation.

After casting his vote on Sunday, Babanov said he was in “a beautiful mood” and was “absolutely confident” he would become the country’s next president.

“I live in a country where every citizen genuinely has the right to choose,” he told journalists.

But he later accused the security services of “preparing provocations” to influence the outcome of the vote.

Several voters leaving the busy Bishkek polling station where Babanov cast his vote said they had voted for the oligarch.

“I like him. He is rich, successful, energetic and handsome. He has a good pre-election program,” said 39-year-old Bishkek resident Bermet Ulanova.

In a country dominated by mountains, regional divisions are destined to play a role with Babanov hailing from the north and Jeenbekov from the south.

“If mishandled, this election could shatter Kyrgyzstan’s facade of democracy. A fragile stability is at stake,” said Deirdre Tynan, Central Asia project director for the International Crisis Group. — AFP


October 15, 2017
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