Kyrgyz presidential candidate Omurbek Babanov's campaign team on October 10 accused election officials of obstructing Babanov’s campaign in favour of a rival candidate, former prime minister Sooranbai Jeenbekov.
Babanov is seen as a leading contender in the upcoming October 15 election alongside Jeenbekov, who represents the ruling Social Democratic Party.
"We believe that the [Central Election Commission, or BSK] is working exclusively for only one candidate who is the main opponent of Omurbek Babanov," Babanov's spokesman, Mirsuljan Namazaliyev, told reporters in Bishkek on October 10.
"The bias of the electoral commission has been proven by those warnings that the BSK has given Babanov," Namazaliyev said referring to two notifications of alleged campaign violations. The electoral commission was set, he said, to issue a third warning supposedly based on voter complaints. Namazaliyev said the warnings were "attempts by the authorities to prevent Babanov from running for office."
Later on the same day, the BSK issued the anticipated warning. Nonetheless, no attempts were lodged to prevent Babanov’s participation in the election.
Namazaliev also accused the Kyrgyz authorities of intimidating Babanov's supporters and openly using the levers of power in support of Jeenbekov, who has received President Almazbek Atambayev’s public support.
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