Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Oct 4 (AFP/APP):Kyrgyzstan goes to the polls to choose a new parliament Sunday with electors and smaller parties afraid vote buying will spoil a rare competitive election in former Soviet Central Asia. Surrounded by authoritarian states with rubber-stamp legislatures, elections in mountainous Kyrgyzstan offer a colourful and sometimes unpredictable contrast. Yet with the coronavirus pandemic battering paltry incomes, many observers are warning that the stage is set for massive ballot fraud by well-resourced parties. Aisuluu Alybayeva, a 34-year-old school teacher in the capital Bishkek, told AFP she hoped the parties that made it into parliament would not be the same ones “buying people”, whose votes sometimes cost as little as $25, according to reports. The pandemic that saw new cases and deaths peak in July in Kyrgyzstan showed voters “how (officials) work,” Alybayeva said. “When the pandemic hit, our lawmakers took their (scheduled) holiday. I personally took offence.” Voting across the country begins at 0200 GMT and concludes at 1400 GMT, with the first results expected late on Sunday. Rift over Russia Of sixteen parties competing, two are almost certain to take seats in the 120-member legislature. The Birimdik (Unity) party is viewed as loyal to President Sooronbai … Continue reading Kyrgyz go to polls as vote-buying fears rise