Kyrgyzstan election: Protesters attack parliament over vote rigging demands

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Protesters in Kyrgyzstan have broken up parliament in the capital, Bishkek, demanding the cancellation of the country’s parliamentary elections.

The footage showed people in the office of President Suranbai Jinpeko throwing paper out the windows. Parts of the building appeared to be on fire.

The wreckage one day continues clashes with police, who initially dispersed the crowd with water cannons and tear gas canisters.

The clashes came amid allegations of voting in last Sunday’s election.

Following the referendum, only four of the 16 parties crossed the 7% threshold for entry into parliament, three of which have close ties to President Jean-Pique.

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On Monday, police used stun grenades before chasing thousands of protesters in nearby streets in Ala-Du Square.

But protesters then flooded Central Square again before attacking the so-called White House parliament building.

Video footage shared on social media showed opposition protesters approaching the premises, with some climbing fences and others opening main gates. Later, smoke could be seen coming out of the building.

Protesters said they would remain in Ala-Du Square until they met with political leaders.

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About 120 people are said to have been injured, half of whom were law enforcement.

Many are in critical condition, but no deaths have been reported, according to a statement from the health ministry.

Protesters have also released former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Attambaye, who is awaiting trial on corruption charges, the local AK Press news agency reported.

Groups close to the president have been accused of vote-buying and voter intimidation – which international observers say is “credible” and a cause for “serious concern.”

On Monday, 12 opposition parties announced they would not approve the results of the joint vote.

Later, President Zinpekov’s office said it would meet with the leaders of the 16 parties that contested Tuesday’s election in an effort to defuse tensions.

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Opposition candidates have demanded that the Central Election Commission (CEC) annul the election results.

One candidate, Riskeldi Mombekov, told a crowd of more than 5,000 protesters on Monday: “The president has promised to oversee fair elections. He has not kept his word.”

Mr Mombeko’s party, Atta McCann, was hoping to get into parliament, but in the end it was one of eight. Atta McCann leader Janar Akew was injured in the leg during Monday’s protest.

Protesters have called for the resignation of President Jean-Pierre.

Thomas Boserup, head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election monitoring program, told a conference that although voting was “normally organized”, allegations of vote-buying were “serious concerns”.

How the protests escalated

Almas Dorov, BBC News, Bishkek

Police water cannon on demonstrators, used stun grenades and tear gas.

They initially used force to disperse protesters in Main Square, but as crowds in Bishkek moved to other streets, police continued to pursue them.

Reports of injuries began to emerge – among protesters and police. Janardhan Akew, an opposition leader, was among those injured.

About 5,000 people protested in Ala-du Square, and the demonstration was largely peaceful. But at about 20:10 (14:10 GMT) local time, a small group of protesters split up and marched to the parliament building. When they got there, they reportedly tried to break down the gates.

This prompted the police to respond. Police said they would not interfere in the protests as long as they remained calm – but this was seen as a provocative act.

The protesters were initially disbanded, but later returned and successfully entered the parliament building.

The two leading parties with a quarter of the vote each are Primitik and Mekhanim Kyrgyzstan.

President Zinbeko’s brother, Achilles Zinpeko, is a member of the Primitive.

Meanwhile, McKenzie appears to be closely associated with the powerful Matryov family of Kyrgyzstan. The head of the family, Raymk Matrimov, was the target of anti-corruption protests last year and is believed to have helped finance Mr Jinpeko’s successful presidential campaign in 2017.

Late on Monday, Primitik announced that it was ready to hold re-election on Sunday, and called on other parties to do the same.