Excerpts from report by Kyrgyz radio on 18th January

Today, the chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, Sulayman Imanbayev,
reported on progress in registering candidates for deputy of the Supreme
Council [parliament] at a news conference at the Kabar news agency. The
head of the Central Electoral Commission also stated which political
parties and electoral blocs intend to stand for the upcoming parliamentary
elections. Here is a report by [producer] Inga Sikorskaya.

[Sikorskaya] According to the Central Electoral Commission, 229 candidates
[of 478 contenders for seats in the parliament] for deputy of the Supreme
Council have been registered in single-seat electoral districts by now. A
total of 478 contenders for deputy seats were nominated at sessions of the
electorate, at which 59 candidates were nominated from the present
composition of the Supreme Council. A total of 38 candidates were
registered, of which 25 to the Legislative Assembly [standing chamber of
the parliament] and 13 to the Assembly of People's Representatives

[standing chamber]. The Central Electoral Commission also presented the
list of nine [registered at the Central Electoral Commission] of 15
political parties which are running for deputy seats. The Central Electoral
Commission is now verifying documents submitted by the Party of Communists
of Kyrgyzstan, the Agrarian and Labour Party, the Moya Strana [My Country]
Party, the DDK Party [Partiya Demokraticheskoye Dvizheniye Kyrgyzstana.
English: Democratic Movement Party], the Party of Veterans of War in
Afghanistan [and Participants in Other Local Conflicts], the Agrarian Party
and the Democratic Party of Women and an electoral bloc [name indistinct].
In spite of the fact that registration ends in three days
time, representatives of political parties are not being very active.
Central Electoral Commission chairman Sulayman Imanbayev said that one of
the reasons why the registration of candidates is being delayed is the
collection and submission of documents for verification. This particularly
applies to the submission of a report on the incomes of a candidate and
members of his family.

[passage to end omitted due to poor reception: Sulayman Imanbayev on the
registration procedure.]

[Sikorskaya] Nomination of candidates ends on 20th January. The final day of
registration is 25th January. Sulayman Imanbayev said that all the
political parties which had not submitted documents [by the deadline] will
be refused registration after the deadline. The Central Electoral
Commission intends to hold a session on the outcome of the final
registration of candidates on 26th January. Then distribution of election
campaign free airtime and column space will begin by drawing lots.

Source: Kyrgyz Radio first programme, Bishkek, in Russian 1400 gmt 18 Jan 00
BBC Mon CAU 190100/** GAR/MK