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Kyrgyz Election a "Significant Step" Toward Democracy, U.S. Says

12 July 2005

International observers also note "tangible progress," respect for rights

Washington -- The United States congratulated the winner of the July 10 elections in Kyrgyzstan, acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, as well as the people of Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz Parliament confirmed Bakiyev as acting president after former President Askar Akayev was driven from office by street protests on March 24.

“We congratulate him and the Kyrgyz people on the election, which we believe marked a significant step towards long-term stability through democracy via the Kyrgyz people's selection of a legitimate president in a democratic election,” said State Department acting spokesman Tom Casey July 11.

Kyrgyzstan’s Central Election Commission declared Bakiyev the winner with 88.9 percent of the vote after 95 percent of all votes had been counted.

Casey cited the preliminary report of an International Election Observation Mission sent by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that praised the election as marking “tangible progress towards meeting OSCE and other international commitments for democratic elections.”

“Fundamental civil and political rights were generally respected and there was an improved media environment,” concluded the OSCE mission, which consisted of some 340 observers from 45 countries.

However, the OSCE mission expressed reservations about the vote count itself, which it termed “problematic.”

“Of particular concern were a small number of serious irregularities observed, including apparently deliberate fraud such as ballot stuffing and some implausible increases in turnout figures. The process deteriorated during the counting and results tabulation,” the OSCE mission said in its preliminary findings and conclusions.

Speaking for the United States, Casey said the election “represents a marked improvement over the previous round of elections for the parliamentary vote in February and March, and we're very encouraged that so many of the citizens of Kyrgyzstan exercised their right to vote and did so in a calm and peaceful way.”

Casey also said the United States is “very appreciative” of the cooperation received from a number of countries in Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, in terms of support for U.S. military operations and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)