Voters in Kyrgyzstan took to the polls Sunday in parliamentary elections that authorities say will bring stability to the Central Asian state but which the opposition says are being rigged.
Twelve political parties were competing for the 90 seats in the Zhogorku Kenesh, the former Soviet republic's legislature, in the first parliamentary elections since irregularities in 2005's vote sparked a revolution.
Polling booths closed at 8:00 pm (1400 GMT), with the country's electoral commission saying the first results would be announced Monday morning.
Just over 61 percent of the country's 2.7 million eligible voters had cast their ballots by 6:00 pm, well above the 50-percent minimum needed to validate the election, the commission reported.
Bakiyev's newly-created Ak-Zhol party was the firm favourite to win the largest share of the vote, and the president was in confident mood as he cast his ballot in the capital Bishkek.
"I am certain the new parliament will be better than the last one," he told reporters. "I congratulate all Kyrgyz on this great occasion ... It is an historic day."
But Almaz Atambayev, head of the opposition Social-Democratic party, said the authorities had used dirty tricks against his party in the campaign and vowed protests if the vote was unfair.
"There is a lot of dirt and intrigue in these elections ... Our party has apparently become too powerful and has started to scare a lot of people," said Atambayev, a former prime minister sacked by Bakiyev.
The elections were being closely watched by outside powers, not least because Kyrgyzstan hosts a US air base set up in 2001 to aid operations in Afghanistan, as well as a Russian air base set up in 2003.
This impoverished country on China's western edge is still in turmoil after the 2005 uprising which saw its first post-Soviet leader Askar Akayev ousted by angry mobs who took over the presidential palace.
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