Election protests in S. Kyrgyzstan called off

Protests in the south of Kyrgystan against the outcome of its presidential election have ended, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. It quoted the campaign headquarters of defeated candidates Kamchibek Tashiyev and Adakhan Madumarov Wednesday as saying their supporters had called off their action. "The protests have been stopped to prevent jeopardizing the country's future and provoking conflicts and standoffs," representatives in both headquarters said. Madumarov and Tashiyev, who came second and third respectively in the election, had claimed the result was invalid and demanded a new election. Madumarov said the incumbent government "used fabrication and administrative levers on an unprecedented scale" to affect the operation of the computerized system in the election. Tashiyev's campaign headquarters said the halt of the protests did not mean "the candidate's supporters are abandoning their struggle for their votes." "We filed complaints with the CEC (Central Election Commission), prosecutors and a court over the irregularities registered during the October 30 voting, and we are going to defend our rights and the rights of our voters by using all legal methods," a source said. The election was won by Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev, the leader of the Social Democratic Party. According to preliminary results, Atambayev received more than 63 percent of the votes. Tashiyev and Madumarov mustered just over 14 percent of the votes each.