Final official results show Kyrgyz president winning second term with 76 percent of vote

Final returns show Kyrgyz president wins 2nd term

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Election officials say President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has overwhelmingly won a second term taking 76 percent of the vote in the Central Asian country that is critical to U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

The Central Election Commission says in a Monday announcement the main opposition candidate Almazbek Atambayev garnered just more than 8 percent.

Opposition parties have dismissed last week’s presidential election as a fraud. The vote has also come under sharp international criticism.

Stability in Kyrgyzstan is of strong interest to both Russia and the United States. The country hosts a U.S. air base crucial to operations in Afghanistan and has been the focus of competition between Washington and Moscow for regional influence.