President's party secures victory in Kyrgyzstan parliamentary election

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Kyrgyzstan's President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's Ak Jol party is headed to an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections according to early results, the election authority said Monday. With nearly 70 percent of ballots counted from Sunday's vote, Ak Jol is leading with 46 percent, said the Central Election Commission spokesman Bakyt Jumagulov. Ak Jol is followed by the opposition Ata Meken party of former parliament speaker Omurbek Tekebayev with 9.7 percent, Jumagulov said. So far Ak Jol and Ata Meken are the only two parties that are certain to have cleared the 5 percent hurdle to gain seats in the one-chamber, 90-seat legislature, he said. Another major opposition group, the Social Democratic Party of former prime minister Almazbek Atambayev is in the third position with 4.7 percent, according to first results