Bishkek's mayor office bans any opposition rallies.

23/7 Tass 320

BISHKEK, July 23 (Itar-Tass) - The mayor office of the Kyrgyz capital
has banned any rallies or other mass actions that the opposition planned
to organize in Bishkek later on Thursday, the mayor office's press service
told Itar-Tass.

Leaders of the opposition planned to hold a mass action in the city's
center at 22:30 local time soon after the candidate from Kyrgyzstan's
United Opposition, Almazbek Atambayev, and self-nominated candidate
Zhenishbek Nazaraliyev announced their intention to withdraw from the race.
"The opposition was denied to hold these actions for many reasons,"
the press service said. "The main reason is that this mass action violates
the election code that regulates the rules of election campaigning."
Meanwhile, the presidential election that was for the first time held
in the republic on workday is recognized as valid.
According to the central election commission, over 60 percent of the
2.7 million of eligible voters cast their ballots.
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