BISHKEK, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- The parliamentary elections have started in Kyrgyzstan on Sunday amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 2,474 polling stations have been opened at 8 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) throughout the country, and will remain open until 8 p.m. local time (1400 GMT).
Sixteen political parties will run in the elections.
According to data by the Central Election Commission (CEC), over 3.5 million voters are registered in the country, and another 32,602 voters living abroad can cast votes in 45 polling stations around the world.
The health ministry and the CEC have developed a specific algorithm to observe all sanitary and epidemiological standards during the pandemic.
Besides, all members of election commissions and voters are provided with personal protective equipment, and a social distance of 1.5-2 meters will be observed both outside and inside the voting premises.
The Kyrgyz parliament has 120 seats with members elected for a five-year term by party-list proportional voting. The previous parliamentary elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on Oct. 4, 2015. Enditem
