BISHKEK, December 17 (RIA Novosti) - The Kyrgyz president's Ak Zhol party won 48.82% of the vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections, giving it all the seats in the legislature, according to Central Election Commission.
Parties have to win at least 5% of the national vote and overcome the 0.5% threshold in each of the Central Asian state's regions to be elected to the one-chamber, 90-seat legislature.
Representatives of the Ata-Meken opposition party, which received 9.2% of the vote, have disputed the Central Election Commission data. The party has failed to overcome the 0.5% election barrier in three areas and will be unable to take its seats in parliament.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev called the early vote in October, after changing the Constitution in a referendum that strengthened his powers, and establishing his own party Ak Zhol. In line with the new Constitution, parliament was elected from party lists for the first time in the ex-Soviet state's history.
Bakiyev's opponents said the Constitutional changes and the early parliamentary elections were initiated by the president to usurp power and backtrack on democracy. However, Bakiyev's supporters say the new system is more democratic.
Kyrgyzstan has been in political turmoil ever since 2005 when disputed parliamentary elections triggered mass protests that ousted the longtime leader Askar Akayev and brought Bakiyev to power.
The opposition accuses Bakiyev of failing to improve living standards, curb corruption and bring democracy to the country. The opposition had also accused authorities of plotting "large-scale vote rigging" at the parliamentary elections.
On Monday, the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan is set to consider the legitimacy of the 0.5% regional threshold.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the elections had failed to meet OSCE commitments.
Kimmo Kiljunen, Special Coordinator of the OSCE short-term observers and head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation, said he was disappointed with the way the polls had been carried out.
"Having led the past two OSCE election observation missions here in Kyrgyzstan, I am personally disappointed that there has now been a backsliding in the elections process. The political pluralism which I had seen develop has been undermined by this missed opportunity," he said.
