吉尔吉斯斯坦总统选举正在进行中

Voters in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan are electing a new president.

中亚国家吉尔吉斯斯坦的选民们正在投票选举新总统。

Kyrgyzstan votes for a new president
Sixteen candidates are standing in the election in the former Soviet republic of 5.3 million people.

The poll comes after the ousting of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in a violent uprising in April 2010 which left more than 90 people dead.

In the following weeks, over 400 were killed in ethnic conflict in the south between Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities.

The front-runner is the former prime minister Almazbek Atambayev, 55, a wealthy businessman from the north of Kyrgyzstan. He promises to bring prosperity and stability to this impoverished（穷困的） nation.

His main challengers are both from the south - President Bakiyev's former minister for emergencies Kamchibek Tashiyev and former Speaker of Parliament Adakhan Madumarov.

The presidential hopefuls are members of the Kyrgyz political elite; some observers have said this vote changes little, those already in power will simply rotate.

Roza Otunbayeva, who has led the country since Mr Bakiyev was ousted, is not contesting the polls.

Her administration strengthened parliament at the expense the president's powers.

The United States will be watching this vote closely. Some of the candidates, including the former prime minister, have vowed to shut down an American military base outside the capital, Bishkek, which is crucial for operations in Afghanistan, and to President Obama's planned withdrawal.

Protest culture

Kyrgyzstan's Central Asian neighbours, such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, are all still ruled by strong-arm leaders, who have been unchallenged since Soviet times.

Kyrgyzstan in contrast has seen two leaders removed by violent protest in the last six years.

Public protests, from picketing parliament to blocking main roads, are a daily occurrence in a country which has gained a reputation for both instability and relative openness.

John Heathershaw, an international relations expert observing the poll in Kyrgyzstan, said that the protest culture was a sign of democratic development in the country.

"Because there are significant civil society groups, political parties that have the freedom to operate, have the freedom to speak out about their concerns, that means they do take to the streets," he said.

"You would not find this in Tajikistan or Kazakhstan even, because there is no such political culture."