13:53, 19 июня 2017, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Anastasia BENGARD
Omurbek Tekebayev participates in presidential elections as self-nominated candidate, Asiya Sasykbayeva, a member of the political council of Ata Meken party, told at a news conference in 24.kg news agency.
According to her, on March 5, 2017 Ata Meken party nominated its leader Omurbek Tekebayev, who «is sitting in the State Committee for National Security on an artificially created criminal case.»
«Today Tekebayev goes to the elections as a self-nominated candidate, and he has the full right under the Constitution. This decision is dictated by the fact that we don’t want the nomination to be limited to just one party. We consider Tekebayev as a national leader," Asiya Sasykbaeva said.
Lawyer Kanatbek Aziz stressed that the presence of Omurbek Tekebayev in the pretrial detention centre doesn’t limit his right to participate in elections, since there is a presumption of innocence.
The deputy of the Parliament Natalia Nikitenko noted that the election process must pass openly, honestly and transparently.
Omurbek Tekebayev became the second presidential candidate who applied to the CEC. The first was the chairman of League — Anticrisis NGO Nazarbek Nyshanov. Today, the congress of the Akshumkar party approved its leader Temir Sariev as a candidate.
The official nomination of candidates for the main post in the country began on June 15 and will last until August 15.