BISHKEK -- Three independent candidates have withdrawn from the Kyrgyz presidential election set for October 30, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.
A Central Election Commission (BSK) official told RFE/RL that Almambet Matubraimov, Jumabek Toktogaziev, and Roman Omorov had asked the BSK to remove their names from the ballot. Their withdrawal lowers the number of candidates to 16.
Matubraimov, who is a former Kyrgyz parliament speaker, told RFE/RL on October 25 that he couldn't remain in the race, as "the fight for the presidential chair is being waged by dirty methods." He did not elaborate.
The BSK officially warned Matubraimov and three other candidates -- Akbaraly Aitikeev, Kubanychbek Isabekov, and Torobai Kolubaev -- on October 25 that they had not provided full and detailed reports on their campaign funds.
Under Kyrgyz law, presidential candidates' campaign funds may not exceed 50 million soms ($1 million), and they must regularly provide the BSK with full and detailed information on where and how those funds were spent.
Read more in Kyrgyz here
A Central Election Commission (BSK) official told RFE/RL that Almambet Matubraimov, Jumabek Toktogaziev, and Roman Omorov had asked the BSK to remove their names from the ballot. Their withdrawal lowers the number of candidates to 16.
Matubraimov, who is a former Kyrgyz parliament speaker, told RFE/RL on October 25 that he couldn't remain in the race, as "the fight for the presidential chair is being waged by dirty methods." He did not elaborate.
The BSK officially warned Matubraimov and three other candidates -- Akbaraly Aitikeev, Kubanychbek Isabekov, and Torobai Kolubaev -- on October 25 that they had not provided full and detailed reports on their campaign funds.
Under Kyrgyz law, presidential candidates' campaign funds may not exceed 50 million soms ($1 million), and they must regularly provide the BSK with full and detailed information on where and how those funds were spent.
Read more in Kyrgyz here