国际英语新闻：Kyrgyz vote in parliamentary election

BISHKEK, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyz voters have casted their ballots to elect a new parliament, with no tension nor serious irregularities reported, the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Sunday.

Earlier data at the close time of voting showed 42.53 percent of registered voters nationwide had casted their ballots.

The results will be available within next two or three days after reception of protocols from all election precincts, including those located in remote mountainous areas.

DAY FOR VOTING

At 8 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), over 2,200 polling stations opened across the country. Some 2.8 million voters, or half of the country's population, were registered for the poll.

At a polling station near the Chuy Street, a main street in Bishkek, a soldier and an armed policeman were guarding the site where transparent ballot boxes, telephones, and fax machines were equipped.

Nearly 20 observers were working at the station, monitoring the voting process when voters cast the 72-cm-long ballot with names of candidate parties on it. Voters are asked to select their favorite party, or "against all."

A local taxi driver, who had came to the polling station early in the morning, told Xinhua he would vote for a small but new party with only around 300 members.

"It is not big, but I support its programs which promise something more practical," the middle-aged driver said.

Zoya Popova, a Bishkek resident, gave her vote to the Ar-Namys party, which is led by former prime minister Felix Kulov and has been seen as one of the most hopeful winners in the election.

She said she hoped powerful major parties could help stabilize and develop the country.

Larissa Kalyuzhnaya, headmaster of a local school where a polling station was set, told Xinhua the day was "a sacred day for voting for the nation."

High turnout and long ballot papers, which not only name the 29 parties but also their top five candidates in Russian and Kyrgyz languages, made an unexpected trouble for the CEC as the ballot boxes in some stations became overfilled very quickly.

After discussion, the CEC finally allowed officials to transfer ballots into bags under the monitoring of observers. Zharkyn Bapanova from the CEC said the sealed sacks would remain near ballot boxes and under observers' control.