OSCE concerned at Kyrgyz vote irregularities

ALMATY, Oct 22 (Reuters) The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today said it was concerned at reports of ballot-stuffing and other irregularities during a nationwide constitutional referendum in Kyrgyzstan yesterday.

''A high number of irregularities were reported by several domestic non-partisan observation groups,'' Markus Mueller, head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said in a statement.

''Domestic observation teams reported that they observed massive ballot-stuffing by members of precinct election commissions, use of administrative resources to bring people to polling stations, obstruction of domestic observers by local authorities and members of election commissions.'' The statement urged Kyrgyz authorities to take immediate action to address reported violations and ''prevent a recurrence of such allegations in the future''.

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