Sunday's parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, while more competitive than previous polls, fell short of international standards, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday

Sunday's parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, while more competitive than previous polls, fell short of international standards, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday. "These elections were more competitive than previous ones, but sadly they were undermined by vote buying, de-registration of candidates, interference with the media and a worryingly low confidence in judicial and electoral institutions on the part of voters and candidates," Kimmo Kiljunen, head of the OSCE parliamentary assembly delegation and coordinator of the OSCE observers, said at a media conference in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. According to the preliminary results from the Central Election Committee (CEC), voter turnout was almost 60 percent - 4.6 percent lower than the previous parliamentary elections in 2000. Nearly 2,650,000 people cast their ballots. Some 390 candidates ran in the campaign for seats in the new parliament consisting of 75 members elected in single-mandate constituencies. But as of Monday, only 31 candidates had secured their seats, suggesting that in 44 constituencies there would be run-off polls on 13 March.