BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday was set to begin intense coalition bartering after five parties won seats in parliament, with fierce nationalists unexpectedly emerging as the strongest force in the Central Asian nation's elections. While President Roza Otunbayeva hailed the elections as a landmark moment in the turbulent history of Kyrgyzstan and US President Obama said the polls proved the nation was committed to democracy, a report said “the authorites were plunged into a state of shock” over the results. A source in the government told Russia's Kommersant newspaper in the capital Bishkek that the victory of the virulently nationalist Ata-Zhurt party, which is believed to be connected to ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was a blow to the interim government. According to results from the central election commission based on 100 percent of precincts, Ata-Zhurt unexpectedly won the most votes with some 8.88 percent. – Agence France
