Voting begins in Kyrgyz presidential election_English

BISHKEK, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Polls opened Thursday morning across Kyrgyzstan in the Central Asian nation's fifth presidential election since its independence in 1991.

Voting began at 8:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT). About 2.8 million eligible voters are expected to cast ballots in 2,281 polling stations all over the country. 17,000 voters cast ballots in early voting.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and his wife cast their ballots at the No. 1223 polling station in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, July 23, 2009. Polls opened Thursday morning across Kyrgyzstan in the Central Asian nation's fifth presidential election since its independence in 1991.(Xinhua/Lu Jinbo)

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About 140,O00 overseas voters will vote at 49 polling stations abroad, of which 21 are in Russia.

There are six candidates on the ballot, including incumbent President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and opposition candidate Almazbek Atambayev, the former prime minister.

More than 500 international observers from 48 countries, mainly the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will monitor the election, the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission said.

Over 10,000 local observers, including those representing the candidates and political parties backing them, will also monitor the process.

A voter casts the ballot at a polling station in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, July 23, 2009. Polls opened Thursday morning across Kyrgyzstan in the Central Asian nation's fifth presidential election since its independence in 1991.(Xinhua/Lu Jinbo)

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Under the Kyrgyz constitution, the president has a five-year term and is allowed to be reelected once.

The candidate garnering more than 50 percent of the vote in a valid first round, defined as having a turnout over 50 percent, will win the election. If there is no outright winner in the first round, the two highest placed candidates will go forward to a run-off.

Bakiyev won the previous election in July 2005.