Kyrgyz presidential election kicks off

Kyrgyz presidential election kicks off

The sixth Kyrgyz presidential election kicked off Sunday morning, with a total of 3.03 million registered voters expected to cast ballots in more than 2,000 polling stations nationwide.

Among the 16 candidates, current Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev, Adakhan Madumarov, leader of the United Kyrgyzstan party, and Kamchibek Tashiyev, head of the nationalist Ata-Zhurt party, are regarded as the main contenders.

Besides the 2,289 domestic polling stations, there are also 29 stations abroad, the country's Central Election Committee said.

At the No. 1258 polling station, people cast their votes one by one while security officials and volunteers helped maintain order.

The polling station gave a small gift -- a box of chocolate pies -- to the first voter. Twelve voters arrived before the station opened and waited in the chilly weather.

Aliya, a 28-year-old middle school teacher, said she voted for the country's future. "I hope and believe that Kyrgyzstan will be prosperous in the near future," she said.

A total of 926 international observers from 56 countries will monitor the election, the first since former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in April last year.

According to the country's law, a candidate will be declared the outright winner if he garners more than 50 percent of the votes. If none of the candidates receives a clear majority, the commission will call a second round for the two candidates who receive the most votes in the first round.

Editor: Yamei Wang

English.news.cn   2011-10-30 10:04:56 FeedbackPrintRSS
Backgrounder: Kyrgyzstan's presidential election

BISHKEK, Oct. 30 (Xinhua)