Bishkek, Jan 11 (UNI) Sadyr Japarov is the projected winner of the Kyrgyz presidential polls as preliminary results declared by the Central Election Commission showed him to have secured more than 79 percent of the vote.

Presidential polls to choose the new president were held on Sunday with vote counting held the same day.

The elections follows political turmoil over a parliamentary election.

Former President Sooronbai Jeenbekov was forced to resign on October, 2020 after opposition supporters protested alleging vote-rigging.

Japarov, now 52-years old was first elected to parliament in 2005 where he served as an adviser to the president.

He was imprisoned in 2017 for anti establishment activities.

He was released amid unrest last October and even served as the interim president for about a month.

UNI XC RKM