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Kyrgyz president sworn in for second term

Kyrgyzstan Materials 2 August 2009 11:08 (UTC +04:00)

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was sworn in on Sunday for his second term, according to reports reaching here from Bishkek, Xinhua reported.
   Bakiyev was re-elected in the country's presidential election on July 23, winning 76.12 percent of the votes.
   The main opposition candidate, Almazbek Atambayev, garnered only 8.41 percent of the votes,  according to results announced by the country's Central Election Commission.
   It was the fifth general election of the country since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
   Bakiyev, who turned 60 on Saturday, will serve a new term of five years, according to the country's amended constitution.
   His four-year first term was generally characterized by achievements in politics, economy and society, including creating job opportunities, building infrastructure, and preserving the country's ethnic culture.
   Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia, is at the heart of a Russian-U.S. contest for control over the strategically important region near Afghanistan.
   Both Russia and the United States now operate military bases in the former Soviet republic.

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