BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - The U.S. ambassador to Kyrgyzstan criticized the ex-Soviet republic's government on Wednesday for failing to ensure free elections, as opposition supporters continued to rally across the country against alleged voting fraud.
Ambassador Stephen Young said Sunday's runoff parliamentary elections and the original vote on Feb. 27 were marred by harassment of independent media, government interference in the campaign process, media bias in favor of pro-government candidates and the disqualification of opposition candidates.
He also noted "rampant vote buying by candidates on both sides."
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The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday the elections were seriously flawed and called on Akayev's government to investigate allegations of fraud and misconduct "promptly and transparently."
The government has dismissed the allegations.
Hundreds of people have rallied against the alleged fraud and demanded Akayev step down in several districts since the first round of voting. The protests intensified after Sunday's runoff.
"The fact that demonstrations have occurred in several corners of the country is a sign that many Kyrgyz citizens felt disappointed by their government's failure to run a truly free, fair and transparent process," Young said told reporters.
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The protesters have occupied several local government buildings. On Monday, they seized the regional governor and a district chief in the western Talas region.
Read the whole thing here.
These protests have been going on for some time in Kyrgyzstan largely unnoticed by the western MSM, although some bloggers have been all over the story. Check out Publius Pundit for lots of bloggish information on what's going on here.
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