TEN YEARS OF AKAEV’S PRESIDENCY

Opposition candidates accuse the Government of violations.

An opposition candidate Almaz Atambaev declared in Bishkek today that results of the presidential election on Sunday can turn out to be illegitimate as there are many voters who go on an early voting before the official election. According to him 487 people in one town of Kyzyl Kiya located in the south of the country already voted on 25 of October.

Yesterday assistants of Almaz Atambaev, Omurbek Tekebaev and Melis Eshimkanov declared that 400,000 voters had already voted. Students, teachers, physicians, which depend on local authorities are made to fill in ballots. However deputy head of the Central Election Commission Mirkamil Abduvaliev informed a correspondent of PCE-PC in Bishkek that the number of early voters does not exceed 1% of the total number of voters.

M. Eshimkanov a candidate for presidency declared in Bishkek today that his representative in the Batken Region Nooman Arkabaev was severely beaten in Batken yesterday. The Government officials initiated the harassment. This man is currently in the hospital heavily wounded. Arkabaev ran for parliament in spring when the Government did their best by means of falsifications to have him fail. His supporters picketed in Bishkek for dozens of days looking for justice but finally did not get it. Assistants of O. Tekebaev declared yesterday that TV Company of KOORT did not resume broadcasting commercial clips of Tekebayev irrespective of promises made by the president of the company Temirbek Toktogaziev to the district court on 24 October. Most TV companies of the country except independent TV of Bishkek (IBTV) also refuse to broadcast clips of Tekebaev.

Baken Nazaraliev and Baktybek Kaparov who are assistants to Tekebaev and Atambaev forwarded a protest to the Central Election Commission saying that the head of election commission of Jalal-Abad Doronov openly threatens local authorities to fire hem if Akaev does not win in the region.

Campaign for Akaev.

Authorities of the Talas Region have recently conducted a series of meetings with electorate advocating Akaev. A new documental film made by producer Bakyt Karygulov was shown. Concerts and horse riding competition accompanied meetings. People’s actors and singers as Kayirgul Sartbaeva, Estebes Tursunaliev, Seitaly Toktonaliev acted there.

In the neighbouring Jalal-Abad region there have also been continuous meetings in support Akaev. The new Kyrgyz-Uzbek University was opened. A few actors were invited for concerts from neighboring Uzbekistan.

Yesterday evening president Akaev met with local and foreign journalists to answer their questions. The national TV broadcasted the two hour meeting live. According to the press service of the president the main topic of the discussion was results of the first nine months of the year. Actually that was the campaign activity for Akaev.

Government buys out opposition newspapers.

Local authorities have bought out the whole pack of yesterday’s 40000 issue of "Asaba" and destroyed it. Newspapers sent to the regions are bought out by local law enforcement institutions and other government agencies as instructed by the Administration of the President. In yesterday’s issue of "Asaba" there was a translation to the Kyrgyz language of a document on possible scenario of actions undertaken by the Government during the election. Eshimkanov declared in Bishkek on 25 of October that he had received that document in the morning of that day and forwarded it to Prosecutor General Chubak Abyshkaev and to the minister of National Security Tashtemir Aytbaev for investigation. However there is no attention paid to the case.

Sincerely

R. Dyryldaev
Chairman of the Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights in exile
c/o IHF
Austria, Vienna
A- 1080 Wickenburgg. 14/7
tel: 43 1 408 88 22; 43 1 956 58 94; Fax+43 1 408 88 22-50

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Posted October 31, 2000 © Eurasianet
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