Kyrghyzstan nationalist wins landslide victory in elections

Kyrghyzstan's nationalist politician Sadyr Japarov logged a landslide victory in Kyrghyzstan's snap presidential election. The polls were triggered by collapse of the previous government. Japarov has won almost 80 per cent of votes. This means that there will be no run-off elections.

Kyrghyzstan's Central Election Commission said that more than 80 per cent voters have also supported proposal for constitutional reforms that give the president greater powers at parliament's expense.

Violent protests in October sent Japarov (52) from jail to PM'schair. He then assumed interim presidency before running for full-time role.

Japarov, who was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for kidnapping a provincial governor as part of a protest, had his verdict quashed amid the October unrest and has outspent 16 presidential poll rivals by a wide margin.

Despite his nationalist stance - Japarov's first act as prime minister was to add ethnicity information to national ID cards - he has repeatedly pledged to maintain a close relationship with former Soviet overlord Moscow.

"Russia is our strategic partner," Japarov said after casting his ballot in a suburb of capital Bishkek, and urged all groups to accept the results in order to preserve stability.

Russia operates a military airbase in the mountainous nation and is the main destination for hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz migrant labourers.

Neighbouring China is another key trade partner and investor in the impoverished and predominantly Muslim nation, whose economy has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting disruptions to trade and travel.

Japarov's prison sentence stems from his campaign in the early 2010s to nationalise the giant Kumtor gold mine operated by Canada's Centerra Gold. After coming to power last year, however, he said that was no longer a goal and he would only seek to ensure profits are split fairly.

Japarov's campaign, which combined references to traditional symbols and values with promises such as doubling healthcare spending struck a chord with voters, especially in rural areas.

(With Reuters inputs)