Image by government.ru
“Kyrgyz election officials say preliminary results from Kyrgyzstan’s presidential vote indicate that Sooronbai Jeenbekov, a political ally of incumbent President Almazbek Atambaev, has won more than 54 percent of the vote, appearing to negate the need for a second-round runoff,” reported RFERL.
Eleven candidates were in the race, including one woman. Jeenbekov, a former prime minister, should provide political continuity in a country that has to balance between China and Russia.
Kyrgyzstan Wants To Cooperate With Russia Militarily
“My task is to preserve what has been achieved, to strengthen what has been started,” Jeenbekov said, wrote RFERL.
The vote is significant as it is the first peaceful transfer of power from one elected administration to another in Central Asia since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Kyrgyzstan Accuses Kazakstan Of ‘Election Meddling’
“I am proud of my freedom-loving people who have staged two national revolutions against dictatorial regimes over the last 12 years and have proven that people are the only possible source of power in the Kyrgyz Republic,” President Atambaev said during the campaign.
