MOSCOW, July 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia expects the upcoming presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan to be fair, open and free of interference from the outside, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said Saturday.

    Moscow "attaches particular significance to the elections in Kyrgyzstan, which will determine the legitimate authorities in a neighboring country with which we have friendly relations," Yakovenko told the Interfax news agency.

    The Kyrgyz people will go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president more than three months after an uprising ousted long-time leader Askar Akayev. Six candidates are vying for the Central Asian country's top post, including acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who has been the front-runner in the presidential race.

    Yakovenko noted the observers in the Kyrgyz elections "bear special responsibility," saying they need to be balanced in their judgments and avoid unreasonable, destabilizing steps, he said.

    The spokesman called on the observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to consult member states f the organization before making official statements on the Krygyz elections.

    "Otherwise, we will not view them as statements made on behalf of the OSCE," he said.

    The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said security measures have been stepped up in the country. About 300 police and interior troops will patrol the center of the capital Bishkek and 1,500 police will be on duty across the country on Sunday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported, citing the Interior Ministry. Enditem