Polls open in Kyrgyzstan for presidential election
BISHKEK: Voting got underway Sunday in Kyrgyzstan in the country's presidential election following last year's bloody revolution and deadly ethnic violence.
The ex-Soviet Central Asian nation of 5.3 million people on the border with China faces a key test, for in its 20 years of independence the deeply divided nation has not had a peaceful transition of presidential power.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 am (0200 GMT) and will close at 7:00 pm (1300 GMT), with provisional results expected overnight Sunday to Monday.
Voters have 16 presidential candidates to chose from and will cast their vote at one of the 2,289 polling stations throughout the mountainous country.
Almazbek Atambayev, the country's moderate prime minister, is thought to be the frontrunner.
He faces challenges from two Kyrgyz nationalists: Kachimbek Tashiyev of the Ata Zhurt party; and the former speaker of parliament, Adakhan Madumarov.
The ex-Soviet Central Asian nation of 5.3 million people on the border with China faces a key test, for in its 20 years of independence the deeply divided nation has not had a peaceful transition of presidential power.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 am (0200 GMT) and will close at 7:00 pm (1300 GMT), with provisional results expected overnight Sunday to Monday.
Voters have 16 presidential candidates to chose from and will cast their vote at one of the 2,289 polling stations throughout the mountainous country.
Almazbek Atambayev, the country's moderate prime minister, is thought to be the frontrunner.
He faces challenges from two Kyrgyz nationalists: Kachimbek Tashiyev of the Ata Zhurt party; and the former speaker of parliament, Adakhan Madumarov.