The leader of Kyrgyzstan's opposition Ata-Zhurt party, which won the most votes in the recent parliamentary elections, survived an assassination attempt on Saturday, a spokesman said.
The spokesman said Kamchibek Tashiyev was lightly wounded in a shootout when several gunmen were discovered on the grounds of his home on Saturday evening.
Tashiyev, who was on the porch at the time, was wounded in the arm.
"Security was able to apprehend and disarm three attackers. They discovered identity cards of members of the intelligence services," the spokesman said.
There has been no official word on the attack.
The Ata-Zhurt party was set up by former officials in the government of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Tashiyev served as emergency situations minister.
The party, whose name means "fatherland," led the October 10 elections with 8.88 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results. It is seen as pro-Russian and campaigned against the constitutional changes that turned Kyrgyzstan into a parliamentary republic with a weak presidency.
BISHKEK, October 23 (RIA Novosti)
