Bakiyev, who was widely tipped for re-election in the strategically important ex-Soviet republic, won 86.3 percent of the 64 percent of ballots counted so far, the election comission said.

But the enormity of his victory in a race that had been tightly contested by main opposition candidate Almazbek Atambayev angered government critics, who alleged massive voter fraud.

"Ninety percent is fantastical. It is an absolutely clear indicator this is a fraud on the state level," opposition MP and presidential campaign manager Bakyt Beshimov told AFP.

Atambayev, who as the candidate of the United People's Movement opposition coalition had been seen as Bakiyev's most serious challenger, earlier called the vote "illegitimate" and promised street protests.

The government rebutted the allegations and said the election results would stand, setting the scene for a possible confrontation with the deeply disaffected anti-Bakiyev camp.

"These regular presidential elections took place in an orderly fashion. They occured in an environment of calmness and amicability from the side of each candidate," election commission spokesman Damir Lisovsky told reporters.

"Carrying out a re-run of the elections, as demanded by the opposition, is not possible."

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which sent more than 200 observers to monitor the election, was due to to release preliminary findings at 3:00 pm (0900 GMT).

But Beshimov said he expected little support from the OSCE, saying the main goal of the West was to maintain its strategic position in the region, and accusing it of abandoning the opposition.

"I am expecting a very balanced report with some criticism but not so much. They thought that democracy is not for us. My heart will not accept this kind of attitude," he said.

About 2,000 opposition supporters gathered on Thursday night at Atambayev's campaign headquarters on the outskirts of the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for a concert that had been expected to turn into a protest march.

Framed by floodlights, opposition supporters waved white flags and shouted "down with Bakiyev" -- but their planned march to the election commission headquarters largely fizzled out.

The city was calm as the results were announced.

Earlier, the government had called in more than 5,000 troops to Bishkek for the election, and Bakiyev had issued a stern warning against attempts to organise illegal protests.

Kyrgyzstan has a history of political violence, and many voters said this week that they feared a contested election result could bring a return to instability and fighting.

Bakiyev recently scored political points when he secured hundreds of millions of dollars in rent for a US airbase used to support international military operations in Afghanistan.

After vowing in February to close the Manas airbase, Bakiyev relented when Washington agreed to more than triple the rent it had been paying for the Manas airbase, located outside Bishkek.

Nevertheless, Bakiyev has struggled to improve living conditions in a country where, according to the World Bank, the average monthly income is just 162 dollars.

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