On Sunday Oct 4th, the country of Kyrgyzstan held an election for parliament and the results incited an outbreak of protests that turned violent. Hundreds of people have been injured and one dead, according to the Health Ministry. The move for a new vote by the electoral commission came soon after President Sooronbai Jeenbekov accused “political forces” of trying to illegally seize power. The election is now being annulled in light of these mass violent protests.

The election was for the 120 seats available in parliament. For a political representative to enter parliament they need a certain number of votes. The violent protests erupted after only four of the 16 political parties passed the needed threshold of votes to enter office. The protestors stormed government buildings and released very high level prisoners. President Jeenbekov has urged the leaders of different political parties to calm their supporters and stop the violence. The Kyrgyzstan government will be holding an election but it is unknown how or when it will happen.