The United States welcomed on Monday the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan and congratulated Kurmanbek Bakiyev for his win in the elections.

"The Central Election Commission in Kyrgyzstan has declared acting President Bakiyev the winner of the elections," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

"We congratulate him and the Kyrgyz people on the election, which we believe marked a significant step towards long-term stability through democracy via the Kyrgyz people's selection of a legitimate president and a democratic election," he said.

"We're very encouraged that so many of the citizens of Kyrgyzstan exercised their right to vote and did so in a calm and peaceful way," he added.

Bakiyev won an overwhelming victory in Kyrgyzstan's presidential elections, the Central Elections Commission figures showed Monday.

With 70 percent of the votes counted, Bakiyev received nearly 89 percent of the votes, according to figures posted on the commission web site. Bakiyev has led the central Asian country since the March 24 protests that drove out former president Askar Akayev.

Source: Xinhua