A Kyrgyz member of parliament was shot dead by unknown assailants today in the capital of the Central Asian state, the interior ministry said.
The impoverished former Soviet republic has seen growing tensions between President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and the opposition over past weeks in the run-up to a July presidential election.
Sanzhar Kadyraliyev, a parliamentary deputy with the pro-presidential Ak-Zhol party, was shot outside his house in the centre of Bishkek within walking distance from the government's headquarters, a ministry spokesman said.
"He is dead. It was a single shot from a pistol," said an Interior Ministry spokesman.
Mr Kadyraliyev (32) mainly dealt with economy and finance related issues in parliament.
The opposition, fragmented and weak, has accused Mr Bakiyev of clamping down on critics and potential rivals. Mr Bakiyev, who plans to run for a second term, has denied the allegations.
Mr Bakiyev came to power shortly after a disputed parliamentary election in 2005 which triggered violent protests that forced long-serving Kyrgyz leader Askar Akayev to flee the country.
Reuters
