* Ethnic Uzbeks vote in large numbers
* Many support Felix Kulov, unity with Russia
* No sign of violence in Osh
By Dmitry Solovyov
OSH, Kyrgyzstan, Oct 10 (Reuters) - His rivals may have led aggressive campaigns, but a prominent poster of Felix Kulov's handshake with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has enchanted Uzbeks voting in a landmark election in Kyrgyzstan.
Amid the ruins of their burned-out homes and teahouses, ethnic Uzbeks cast their ballots in the Furkat neighbourhood of Osh on Sunday, four months after Kyrgyzstan's second city was engulfed in its worst violence since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
More than 400 people were killed and thousands left homeless during clashes in June between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the south of the mountainous nation of 5.3 million people.
Despite lingering ethnic tensions, Uzbeks in Furkat named Kulov, an ethnic Kyrgyz from the north, as their top choice because of his ties to Russia. Kulov, 61, was the only candidate who was received by Medvedev in the run-up to the elections.
"I believe Kulov will crack down on nationalism. He himself is a Kyrgyz, but he will never do anything bad to Uzbeks," said Makhbarat Isakova, a 52-year-old ethnic Uzbek housewife.
She, like many others in her neighbourhood, voted for Kulov's Ar-Namys party, which means 'Dignity' in Kyrgyz.
Kyrgyzstan, which houses Russian and U.S. military air bases, is voting to create the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia, a region otherwise ruled by presidential strongmen with no apparent plans to loosen their grip on power.
Kulov has been a fierce critic of the interim government's plan to rule Kyrgyzstan by parliamentary democracy. A former interior minister, he served briefly as prime minister under president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who was deposed in April.
"We are for a strong president, a strong prime minister and a strong parliament," Kulov, grey-haired and in a business suit, told reporters after casting his vote in the capital Bishkek.
"According to our constitution, a new prime minister would change the whole power vertical," he said.
"If this were to happen every six months -- and this is entirely possible given the many political intrigues in this country -- the entire structure of power would also change every six months. You can imagine what would happen then." <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For main story on Kyrgyzstan election: [ID:nLDE69901L] For FACTBOX on Kyrgyzstan election: [ID:nLDE698043] For FACTBOX on political risk in Kyrgyzstan: [ID:nRISKKG] For further stories on the election, click on [ID:nLDE6951VF] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
The high turnout in Uzbek neighbourhoods of Osh, a city split almost equally between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, was at odds with forecasts that intimidated Uzbeks could shun the vote.
In Furkat, their support for Kulov was fuelled by billboards in central Osh showing him shaking hands with Medvedev.
"Kulov is a good man and will work honestly," said pensioner Gulam Tokhtarov, whose house was burned down during the riots. "He must have agreed with Medvedev in Moscow that things should improve in Kyrgyzstan, and I hope it will be so."
CLOSE TO RUSSIA
Also popular among ethnic Kyrgyz in the south is the nationalist Ata Zhurt party. Its leader, Kamchibek Tashiyev, said the election would put a stop to ethnic violence.
But most Uzbeks in Furkat supported Kulov, casting their votes at a polling station inside a dusty workshop next to the site of a school under reconstruction after being torched.
Only six of the 29 parties running in the election have placed national minorities, including Uzbeks, in winning positions in their party lists.
"Uzbeks have no great choice in this election, but at least thanks to people like Kulov we will be a bit closer to Russia," said 44-year-old nurse Minozhat Usenbayeva.
Similar to many local families, her two sons work in Russia and send money back home. Her two brothers are already Russian citizens.
"At first we were offended when Russia declined to send in troops when Uzbeks were killed in June," she said. "Right now, we hope for Russia."
She praised Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for meeting citizens affected by the peatland and forest fires that swept across Russia this summer.
"Here, we were burned alive in our own houses, and not a single Kyrgyz official came to talk to us." (Additional reporting by Robin Paxton in Bishkek; editing by Noah Barkin)
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