Kyrgyzstan went to the polls on Sunday for a hotly-contested parliamentary vote, but the results are unlikely to change the ex-Soviet country’s firmly pro-Russian trajectory.
Polling stations across the majority-Muslim Central Asian country of six million saw <g data-gr-id="9">long</g> queues form in the autumn sunshine. Fourteen parties and more than 2,000 candidates are contesting 120 seats. The Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK), linked to pro-Moscow President Almazbek Atambayev, is expected to do well in the poll. But it can only take a maximum of 65 seats in the single-chamber legislature due to a stipulation in the constitution.Other parties tipped for a strong showing include Ata-Meken, Bir Bol and Respublika-Ata-Jurt, all of which are also openly loyal to Moscow.