Kyrgyz election front-runner claims outright win

[October 31, 2011]  BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) -- The front-runner in Kyrgyzstan's presidential election claimed victory Monday after preliminary results showed he had garnered an overwhelming share of votes, but opponents cried foul and refused to concede defeat.

Campaigners for Almazbek Atambayev said he secured broad support across the former Soviet Central Asian nation, showing that fears of the election exposing interregional tensions were unfounded.

His rivals, however, questioned results from nearly 99 percent of precincts showing Atambayev with more than 63 percent -- well above the simple majority needed to avoid a runoff.

International observers on Monday praised Kyrgyzstan for its wide choice of candidates and for conducting an open and free campaign, but criticized irregularities on election day, especially during the counting and tabulation of votes.

The main challengers -- Kamchibek Tashiyev and Adakhan Madumarov -- both nationalists from the southern part of the country, have pointed at alleged violations, including ballot box stuffing and repeat voting.

"We are willing to adopt all legal methods in order to protect our votes," Madumarov said Sunday. He and other candidates also complained to journalists that tens of thousands of people had been excluded from the electoral register.

The international community is hoping for a smooth handover as interim President Roza Otunbayeva, appointed as caretaker leader in a 2010 referendum, steps down. Both the United States and Russia maintain military air bases in the country, with the U.S. relying on theirs as a core logistics hub for operations in nearby Afghanistan.

"Despite flaws with the voters lists and tabulation processes, we are cautiously optimistic about the future of democracy in Kyrgyzstan," said Walburga Habsburg Douglas, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's observer mission. "Significant work is still needed at all levels for this country to live up to its commitments to hold democratic elections."

The OSCE noted cases of ballot box stuffing, multiple and family voting, vote buying, and bussing of voters. It said that the situation deteriorated during counting and tabulation, adding that in some cases protocols were altered or completed by higher-level commissions.

Tashiyev's and Madumarov's showings in the election fell considerably short of expectations, with each capturing less than 15 percent so far. That contrasted with many observers' predictions of a second round pitting northerner Atambayev against one of the two candidates from the south.

Southern Kyrgyzstan, a major area for Afghan heroin trafficking, was devastated last summer by deadly ethnic clashes that killed almost 500 people, mainly ethnic Uzbeks. As the ethnic violence fueled communal tensions within the country, Tashiyev and Madumarov saw their support bases grow.

But Atambayev was seen as the front-runner, thanks to a well-funded campaign and national prominence from serving as prime minister until September and raising state salaries and pensions.

A new constitution limits the new president to a single six-year term. Atambayev has hinted that he may seek further constitutional adjustments if he wins the office, but has given no details.

[Associated Press; By LEILA SARALAYEVA and PETER LEONARD]

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