Bakiyev elected new Kyrgyzstan president

BISHKEK - Kyrgyzstan's acting leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev has been elected president in the Central Asian state's first presidential poll since a March revolution, the central election commission said on Monday.

"Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev has won the first place with 88.9 per cent of all the ballots cast," central election commission head Tuigunaaly Abdraimov told a news briefing, summing up the results of Sunday's presidential election.

The West had repeatedly urged the ex-Soviet state of 5 million to hold free and fair polls to add legitimacy to its new leadership and set a good example of democracy for authoritarian regional neighbours.

The elections were called to find a successor to Askar Akayev, who ruled Kyrgyzstan for nearly 15 years but fled to Russia on March 24 after violent protests sparked by flawed parliamentary elections.

Bakiyev, 55, was a prime minister under Akayev but later joined the opposition and played a key role in the protests.

Kyrgyzstan, which borders China, has been volatile since the March revolution, and Bakiyev's cabinet acknowledged last month it was not in full control after a crowd seized and briefly held the government headquarters.

The United States and Russia have military air bases in Kyrgyzstan and have both emphasised a need for stability.

The central election commission said Bakiyev's stunning vote result was based on 95 per cent of all the ballots counted. It said turnout in Sunday's polls was 74.6 per cent.

International election monitors were expected to deliver their verdict on the conduct of the polls later on Monday.

- REUTERS