Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan  - Voting began Thursday morning in Kyrgyzstan's presidential election amid opposition fears of manipulation in favour of incumbent Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is pitted against five competitors.

Observers said they expected Bakiyev, who was elected four years ago after a popular uprising that forced then-president Askar Akayev to flee the country, to win re-election in the Central Asian republic by a large margin.

The 59-year-old warned the opposition against attempting to destabilize the impoverished nation.

However, a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe listed a series of campaign violations by the Kyrgyz authorities, saying state media predominately promoted the president.

The organization deployed around 250 election monitors.

Leading opposition candidate Almasbek Atbambayev, a former prime minister, warned authorities against depriving the Kyrgyz people of their right to free elections.

More than half of Kyrgyzstan's 5 million inhabitants registered for the polls.

Polling stations in the former Soviet republic bordering China, which is best known for its mountains and nomadic people, opened at 8 am (0200 GMT) and are to close 12 hours later.

The election was being closely watched by both the United States and Russia.

Bakiyev in February announced the closure of the only US military base in Central Asia, which is located in the country and serves as a major transit hub for US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Also in February, Russia offered the impoverished nation a 2-billion-dollar loan, and after a June parliamentary vote to keep the US base open, Moscow and Bishkek entered talks over opening a Russian base. (dpa)