A prominent politician and a candidate in Kyrgyzstan's upcoming presidential election has survived an attempt on his life.
Wearing a bandage over his nose, Bayaman Erkinbayev told parliamentarians he was shot and wounded in the face in an assassination attempt late Thursday. He said the shots were fired by assailants from a car in the capital, Bishkek.
Mr. Erkinbayev said he believed that his candidacy was the reason for the attack, but a Kyrgyz police official said the shooting may not have been politically motivated.
A wealthy businessman from southern Kyrgyzstan, Mr. Erkinbayev and his supporters were the catalyst behind mass popular protests which forced former President Askar Akayev from office on March 24.
Bishkek mayor and former security chief Felix Kulov and interim President Kurmanbek Bakiyev are considered the front-runners in the July presidential elections.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP.
