DISTRICT COURT OVERTURNS A VERDICT BY THE SUPREME COURT.

The Nookat district court of the southern Osh Province ruled on 12 November that candidate Talantbek Maksutov should take part in a run-off election to a parliamentary seat instead of Mamasadyk Bakirov. According to the court, the regional election commission recounted votes of the first round held on 20 October.

Just after the first round, it was announced that Muktar Orozbekov (who took 20 percent of votes) and Mamasadyk Bakirov (19 percent) were the first and second in the "Osh-3000" constituency. The Osh City court ruled on 31 October that Maksutov, who was the third in the first round, must take part in the run-off instead of Bakirov. However, the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan overturned the ruling on 2 November. The Central Election Commission (CEC) postponed the run-off in the constituency.

About 70 supporters of the other candidate, Usen Sydykov, held a protest picket in front of the local administration building in the Kara-Kulja district of the same province on 13 November demanding to restore Sydykov's right to run for a parliamentary seat. Sydykov took about 46 percent of votes in the first round on 20 October but the Osh City court barred him from the run-off set for 3 November, and the CEC postponed the run-off.