«The early presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan were for the most part well organized and were in line with the basic legal standard framework,» the head of the OSCE / ODIHR observation mission, Tamás Meszerics, said at a briefing today.
According to him, the legal framework in Kyrgyzstan allows holding competitive elections. Fundamental freedoms are generally respected. He noted that the early presidential elections and the referendum were held against the backdrop of the political crisis that unfolded after the cancellation of the October parliamentary elections.
In turn, the Special Coordinator and head of the short-term OSCE observer mission Peter Juel-Jensen believes that presidential candidates could freely campaign. But many lacked the necessary financial resources.
«It was obvious that this campaign was dominated by one candidate. Provision of free airtime provided a platform for the campaign for voters. But the general lack of critical media coverage limits voters’ ability to make informed choices. I would like to thank many workers of polling stations across the country for their significant efforts yesterday, you worked hard in difficult conditions,» Peter Juel-Jensen stressed.
