You may vote now on AKIpress

The Kyrgyz news agency Akipress opened an on-line polling station. All six candidates for the Kyrgyz presidency, including the two heavyweights Kurmanbek Bakiev and Almazbek Atambaev, are waiting for your vote. The system allows every unique IP-address to vote only one time. Since yesterday some 300 more guests have made use of this chance and in total more than 3400 visitors of Akipress have turned in their ‘vote’ by now.

A great idea and especially interesting for those who want to observe the public opinion in Kyrgyzstan (as different from the electorate’s final vote on 23rd July). So far visitors of Akipress mostly voted for Kurmanbek Bakiev providing him with 31,5% of the total vote. Closing in is Almazbek Atambaev with slightly more than 29%. The third place goes to those voters, who are against all candidates, whereas Temir Sariev, the head of the liberal Ak-Shumkar (White Falcon) party, gains some 13%. Not surprisingly, such a result shows a public preference for oppositional candidates, together gaining more than 40%. I am not quite sure now, will there be a second round, in case Bakiev doesn’t make 50% in the first round (which will be rather unlikely, giving his unlimited means to use administrative resources)?

At least this on-line election forecast (even if far from the actual results to be expected in some weeks) shows the diversity of opinions in the Kyrgyz public. I would like to ask all of you to participate and throw in your vote! Find your way to the political barometer here.