Around three months after the unrest in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, the politician Sadyr Schaparow loyal to Russia is clearly in the lead in the presidential election. This was shown today by preliminary data from the election commission. According to this, after counting more than 90 percent of the votes cast, Schaparov comes to 80 percent approval. So he should make the election in the first round.
The 52-year-old was only taken out of prison by his supporters in the wake of the unrest in October after a court overturned a long prison sentence that had been imposed on him. He was accused of taking a senior state official hostage during protests in 2013. When he cast his vote, he professed his alliance with the government in Moscow.
Kyrgyzstan has been marked by political instability for years. In October President Sooronbai Scheenbekow resigned after mass protests sparked by allegations of election fraud in favor of his camp in the parliamentary elections. The terms of office of presidents ended similarly in 2010 and 2005.
