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Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev ordered a review of parliamentary election results in regions where the polls have been disputed by the opposition, reports from Bishkek said Monday.
The Central Election Commission and the Supreme Court were told to probe the allegedly rigged election with "special attention to those districts where the results of the election brought a strong public reaction," his office said in a statement.
Investigators will "tell people openly who is right and who is wrong," the statement said. "The disputes need to be solved fully and fairly."
Meanwhile, about 17,000 opposition protesters took over more government buildings in the southern town of Jalal-Abad and nearby Osh, the second-biggest city in the country.
Earlier in the day, a spokesman for the president said Akayev is ready for negotiations with the opposition "at any time."
"I think these measures will allow the situation in the country to be stabilized, since the events in the south can lead to unpredictable consequences and seriously affect... citizens' security," Abdil Segizbayev said in a televised speech.
Akayev's supporters won a landslide victory in the parliament elections held on Feb. 27 with runoffs in many regions on March 13.The opposition refused to accept the results and accused the authorities of fraud in the election.
Following the election, the opposition rallied, blocked roads and occupied several government buildings, demanding Akayev's resignation. Akayev has blamed the opposition leaders for inciting a civil war.
Akayev has served the maximum two terms allowed by the constitution and has pledged to step down before the presidential election scheduled for October.
(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2005)
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