Kyrgyzstan's key opposition leader Felix Kulov formally announced on Monday his candidacy for the presidential elections scheduled for July to choose a successor to the country's ousted leader Askar Akayev.

Kulov told reporters that he made the decision in a bid to "stabilize the situation in the country, to unite the country." Currently, Kyrgyzstan needs to handle a number of important issues,including the maintenance of national unity and the prevention of future political chaos, he said.

There have been fears that Kulov, a northerner, running against acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, a southerner, could exacerbateregional tensions between the north and the south.

Kulov said that if he wins the elections, he would ask Bakiyev to be prime minister to prevent splitting the country into two parts. But if he loses, he would not seek any posts in the government, he said.

Kulov, a former vice president and security chief, spent more than four years in prison under Akayev's rule on corruption and other charges that he says were politically motivated.

He was freed immediately after Akayev's overthrow on March 24, and his convictions have been annulled, paving the way for his runfor presidency. He is seen, alongside Bakiyev, as one of the most likely candidates to win.

Source: Xinhua