By empty (3/22/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Kyrgyzstan\'s president, Askar Akayev, has ordered a review of some parliamentary poll results amid growing protests over alleged irregularities. His office said a review would be held in districts of the Central Asian state where the poll results had sparked \"a strong public reaction\". The announcement came as opposition protesters seized two towns, including the country\'s second city Osh.
Kyrgyzstan\'s president, Askar Akayev, has ordered a review of some parliamentary poll results amid growing protests over alleged irregularities. His office said a review would be held in districts of the Central Asian state where the poll results had sparked \"a strong public reaction\". The announcement came as opposition protesters seized two towns, including the country\'s second city Osh. Russia\'s Foreign Ministry condemned the protests, blaming \"extremists\". \"Extremist forces must not be allowed to use political instability to create a threat to the democratic foundations of the Kyrgyz statehood,\" it said in a statement. Russia also rebuked the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) for declaring that the elections had fallen short of democratic standards. It urged the body to be \"more responsible\" in its election monitoring conclusions \"to prevent destructive elements from using these assessments to justify their lawless actions\". (BBC)