A billboard in Bishkek advertising Bakiyev for the election in Kyrgyzstan, reading "Bakiyev of course". The man depicted is supposed to represent a subset of his constituency.A student rally in Ala-Too Square in early July for Atambaev
Presidential elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on 23 July 2009. The date was set after the constitutional court ruled that the extension of the presidential term from four to five years did not apply until the next presidential election, calling for elections by 25 October 2009; in response, a parliament committee proposed the July election date, which was then passed by the incumbent president Kurmanbek Bakiyev's Ak Jol-dominated parliament.[1] Bakiyev had previously announced his intention to run for reelection.[2] Bakiyev was re-nominated on 1 May 2009.[3]
On election day the main opposition candidate Almazbek Atambayev withdrew from the contest, citing his belief that fraud was employed extensively and thus considers the election illegitimate. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) also claimed that Bakiyev had unfair advantages in terms of superior media coverage of his campaign, and vote rigging. Eventually, Bakiyev was declared the winner of the election with 76% of the vote. An opposition rally on election day was broken up by Kyrgyz police.
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