Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle praised the parliamentary elections that were carried out yesterday in Kyrgyzstan.

He issued the following statement today (11 October):

“The peaceful and orderly conduct of yesterday’s elections is a positive development that deserves recognition. I hope that the Kyrgyz leadership under President Otunbayeva will succeed in completing the election process in a transparent and orderly manner. This is the prerequisite for broad-based acceptance of the results of yesterday’s elections.

Kyrgyzstan now has a solid foundation upon which to build the continuing democratization process. I call on all political parties in Kyrgyzstan to enter constructively into this process and to seize the opportunity for reconciliation in Kyrgyzstan.”