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 … Continue reading Kyrgyz go to polls as vote-buying fears rise