Voter turnout reaches 20% in Kyrgyz parliament elections within four hours
BISHKEK. Oct 4 (Interfax) - The Kyrgyz parliament elections' voter turnout reached 20% or 542,200 voters as of noon local time (9 a.m. Moscow time), a representative of the Kyrgyz Central Elections Commission told Interfax quoting the Commission's data.
The voter turnout has been the highest in the Talas region in northern Kyrgyzstan (24.9%), the Central Elections Commission said. It said the voter turnout stood at 24.1% in the Batken region, 23% in the Naryn region, 20.2% in the Chui region, 20% in the Jalal-Abad region, 19.6% in the Issyk-Kul region, 18.0% in the Osh region, and 16.7% in the city of Osh.
The voter turnout has been the smallest in Bishkek, 15.8% as of noon local time.
Only 2% of registered voters have come to polling stations outside the country.
The Central Elections Commission reported minor technical failures that had no effect on the progress of the vote.
Polling stations will be open from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. local time.
There is no voter turnout threshold in the Kyrgyz parliament elections and they will be declared valid irrespective of that parameter.
Candidates of 14 parties are fighting for 120 seats in the Kyrgyz parliament. This is the first ballot in Kyrgyzstan using voter biometric identification and data reading technologies.
