The date of the next presidential elections has been defined in Kyrgyzstan. Members of Parliament almost unanimously voted for October 30 as the day of presidential poll to be held this year. Kyrgyz MP’s made their decision at the last meeting before leaving for summer vacations. The Kyrgyz incumbent president Roza Otunbayeva was appointed to the supreme post last summer. At the time, the majority of the population of Kyrgyzstan voted for her candidacy in a referendum. Otunbayeva identified her task in this post by setting a precedent of peaceful handling of power. The two previous presidents were overthrown by force. Under current legislation, presidential elections must be held two months before the incumbent head of state term in office expires. Roza Otunbayeva’s term expires on December 31, 2011. The incumbent president repeatedly announced that she would not stand for the presidency again.

Emilbek Kaptagayev, head, Kyrgyz presidential administration:
- Once the president is elected and the president-elect takes office, the interim period in the country ends as it is still on since April 7, 2010. Once the interim period is over, we hope we can reach stability completely and the country will be operating in the fully legal mode.