Kyrgyzstan accuses Kazakhstan of election 'influence'

Kyrgyzstan accused its larger neighbour Kazakhstan on Wednesday of trying to influence the country's upcoming vote in favour of the opposition. The complaint came after Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with opposition candidate Omurbek Babanov, competing in the country's strongly contested October election.
In an angry note to Kazakhstan's ambassador, the Kyrgyz foreign ministry expressed "bewilderment" at the meeting, which it characterised as "an expression of support". It said it regarded the meeting as an "attempt to influence the choice of the people of Kyrgyzstan and interference in the internal affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic". Kazakhstan said Wednesday it was "extremely surprised at the reaction", adding that Nazarbayev regularly meets politicians from other countries.