Obviously sensing international shame if its party won all the seats, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s Ak Zhol party had actually appealed the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) rule – that a party must win at least 0.5 percent of the vote in each region – to the Supreme Court before the election. Some members of the opposition party Ata Meken suggested it would boycott parliament anyway in protest of the stolen election.
"It is doubtful that we will go into parliament," said Ata Meken leader Kubatbek Baibolov. "We can refuse; our voters are demanding that we do not go in."
The CEC ignored the Supreme Court ruling when it announced the official election results three days after the election, giving no seats to Ata Meken. Ak Zhol was awarded 71 of the 90 seats (79 percent). Two other parties had surprisingly barely reached the 5 percent threshold. The Social Democrats received 11 seats, and the pro-presidential Communist Party received 8 seats.
A few sporadic protests sprang up around the country, the largest being 1,000 demonstrators. Twenty protesters were arrested in the capital on charges of hooliganism and holding an unsanctioned demonstration even though they just stood silently in front of CEC headquarters holding signs that read "I don't believe." Two journalists observing the demonstration were also arrested but then released.
Ata Meken questioned why the CEC took three days to count the votes, suggesting they needed more time to falsify the results. They also 
complained that by law the CEC is required to answer all election-related appeals within two days. The CEC defended its delay in announcing results by claiming unidentified Estonians had hacked into their Web site.
Ata Meken held an unsanctioned rally on Dec. 21, when just under 100 party supporters gathered. Ata Meken leader Omurbek Tekebayev addressed the crowd. "The elections have not been fair," he said. "Opposition parties were supported by the majority of the population, but the authorities have rigged the results."
Police arrested 40 of the protesters, but did not approach Tekebayev, who walked away after his speech. Three CEC members, who had challenged the voting results, were blocked from entering their offices. "They consider us opposition now, but we just think the law should be observed strictly," said Akylbek Sariyev, one of the three barred commission members.
The newly elected parliament met in session for a brief 90 minutes on Dec. 21 and quickly adjourned before the opposition could stage a protest outside the parliament building. Sixty protesters had gathered nearby in the main city square holding "I don't believe" signs. The police arrested 17 of them before the demonstration scattered. Those arrested days earlier had received one week jail sentences or fines.
The opposition called for mass protests to begin on Dec. 24, when parliament was scheduled to meet again. Parliament reconvened on Christmas Eve and elected former Energy Minister Igor Chudinov as Prime Minister and former State Secretary Adakhan Madumarov as speaker, both members of Ak Zhol.
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