"We have registered many complaints about fingerprinting," Vladimir Rushailo, the chairman of the CIS Executive Committee and head of the CIS observers' mission, said. "Of course, we could have been faced with a conspiracy among members of election commissions and voters if marking ink had not been used. But even if there had been hundreds or thousands of these voters, this could not have influenced the results of the elections. So why offend more than two million people by suspecting them of criminal intent?"
When asked whether the elections were more democratic than the parliamentary ones in spring, Rushailo answered that the country's election law determined the differences between them in terms of preparation and implementation. But he added that the observers had not set themselves the task of comparing the elections.
"Our task is to verify how the elections complied with the law," the official said.
He also said that the CIS mission of observers had informed the central election commission and other missions of observers about its notes.
The presidential elections were held after the revolutionary events in Bishkek in March, 2005, when incumbent President Askar Akayev was overthrown.
