Report: Supreme Court invalidates Kyrgyz parliamentary elections

Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court on Thursday declared the nation's controversial parliamentary elections invalid, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

The court chairman, Kurmanbek Osmonov, was quoted as saying that the court recognized the former parliament as the legitimate legislature.

That parliament was to reconvene Thursday night, hours after protesters seized the presidential and government headquarters.

Earlier, opposition figures and democracy activists had said the old parliament would convene Friday morning to discuss the country's future and plan for new presidential and legislative elections.

But former lawmaker Oksana Malevanaya said on state television, which now is in opposition hands, that the meeting would take place Thursday night. She said she was speaking on behalf of the so-called Coordinating Council of National Unity, apparently consisting of opposition leaders.

Muratbek Imanaliyev, leader of the opposition party Jany-bagyt, or New Direction, said new elections must be held.

"This is the people's victory, but now we need to create legitimate structures so that there's no power vacuum," he told The Associated Press.

Topchubek Turgunaliyev, an activist of the opposition People's Movement of Kyrgyzstan, said new parliamentary elections would be held in the fall.

"We want to preserve the unity of the nation. We are holding talks with law enforcement officials so there is coordination," said Turgunaliyev, whose party is headed by Kurmanbek Bakiyev, one of two major opposition leaders.

Edil Baisalov, head of a prominent non-governmental organization that monitored this year's parliamentary elections, told The Associated Press that the parliament would discuss plans for a new presidential vote, probably in May or June, to be followed later by parliamentary elections. He said the old parliament would serve as the legislature until those elections.

Associated Press