The electoral authorities in Kyrgyzstan have annulled the results of parliamentary elections following violent protests.
The protests started after only four parties out of 16 passed the 7% threshold for entry into parliament, three of which have close ties to President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
The preliminary count showed two pro-presidency parties, Birimdik and Mekenim Kyrgyzstan, who both favour deeper integration with Moscow, together taking around half of the vote.
An angry mob of protesters seized Kyrgyzstan’s seat of government and freed a jailed former president after the demonstrations against an election tarnished by vote-buying accusations, spiralled into violent clashes with police, with the Health Ministry reporting that hundreds were injured in the unrest.
The electoral authorities’ decision came soon after President Jeenbekov accused “certain political forces” of trying to illegally seize power.
In a video address, the President accused unnamed “political forces” of using the results of the election as a reason to “violate public order”. “They did not obey law-enforcers, beat up medical workers and damaged buildings”.
He said he had “so far… taken all the possible measures to prevent an escalation of the situation” and urged opposition parties to “calm their supporters down and take them away from areas of mass gathering”.
“I proposed the Central Election Commission to thoroughly investigate violations and if necessary annul the results of the elections,” he added.
Opposition supporters had also hit the streets of the capital Bishkek to demand the resignation of the pro-Russian President, Jeenbekov and a rerun of the elections.
Popular singers joined politicians in addressing the crowd, who responded with chants of “Jeenbekov out”.
“The president promised to oversee honest elections. He didn’t keep his word,” one opposition candidate, Ryskeldi Mombekov, told the protesters.
Klara Sooronkulova, leader of the Reforma opposition party said, “We all have witnessed a true lawlessness during the election campaign and the Election Day. Pressure on the voters, intimidation of the voters, bribing.”
The election-monitoring body of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe added in a report that “fundamental rights and freedoms were overall respected” in this year’s election in Kyrgyzstan, but that “credible allegations of vote buying remain a serious concern.”
Police used water cannons, stun grenades and tear gas to disperse protesters attempting to force their way through the gates of the building that houses the country’s parliament and presidential offices.
A crowd of about 2,000 people then forced their way into the nearby National Security Committee building, where former President Almazbek Atambayev was jailed.
Adil Turdukuov, an activist and ally of Atambayev who witnessed the release said the ex-leader was freed “without force or use of any weapons” and that national security officials had not attempted to halt protesters.
Footage posted on social media showed Atambayev, 64, greeting supporters after he left jail, where he was serving an 11-year sentence for his role in the illegal release of a mob boss.
Atambayev was once close with his successor Jeenbekov, but the pair fell out shortly after the 61-year-old won the country’s last presidential election in 2017.
