Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Elections: A Snippet of the Country's Political Journey

Jakarta, Indonesia

Kyrgyzstan holds a reelection on November 28, 2021 as a result of disagreement and accusations of vote manipulation over the results of the 2020 election. There are a few things you should know if you want to dig deeper into the issue; find out more below!

What happened before?

Kyrgyzstan has faced numerous constitutional issues in the last decade, including corruption and government instability, as well as electoral fraud, which occurred last year during the 2020 parliamentary election.

Kyrgyzstan had already held an election in 2020, but the result, which was won by pro-government parties, almost led to disagreements and protests from Kyrgyz and opposition parties who rejected the election result and accused it of being rigged and manipulated. This rejection sparked mobs in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital, and sparked further protests in other Kyrgyz cities. Meanwhile, a total of 12 parties have signed a petition to the election commission requesting that the results be annulled. All of the protests and actions by people who are strongly opposed to the outcome have caused the election commission to officially annul the election results on October 6, 2020.

Following that, Kyrgyzstan's prime minister, Kubatbek Boronov, and parliament speaker, Dastan Jumabekov, resigned from their positions, and the parliament temporarily appointed Sadyr Zhaparov to fill the position of Prime Minister, while Myktybek Abdyldayev was appointed as the new Parliament Speaker. Later, Kyrgyzstan's President resigned as well, and Sadyr Zhaparov was appointed President for the time being until another election could be held.

So, how’s the 2021 election going?

The election was held on November 28, 2021, by the Kyrgyzstan election commission, using a new voting method, the split system. Because voters were unfamiliar with the new system, its implementation was quite challenging, causing some confusion and urging voters to seek assistance from poll workers in order to vote correctly. Furthermore, people criticized the method's lack of socialization, claiming that it violated voters' privacy rights.

The overall turnout for the parliamentary elections was 32.25 percent, which was lower than the previous election, which had a turnout of 58.89 percent. Several factors contributing to the low turnout include confusion over the previously explained method, stricter eligibility requirements for eligible voters, and broken vote machines in several polling places. Moreover, the election results showed a massive victory for pro-government parties, with Ata-Jurt Kyrgyzstan, Ishenim, and Yntymak filling the top three seats and other parties filling the remaining seats. At a press conference in Bishkek, the opposition stated that they will not recognize the election results due to the blackout incident, which caused them to lose votes due to the blackout incident that occurred in the election commission for 40 minutes, and that they will request another election in the future to ensure the accountability of the results.

In Conclusion of The Election

Kyrgyzstan had several elections prior to the 2021 parliamentary elections, each of which aimed to establish a stable yet improved government. The election process also necessitates specific requirements and planning to ensure that the election runs smoothly while also addressing any problems that may arise. Furthermore, the process of Kyrgyzstan governments will still run, for now, and the future.

References

Dzyubenko, O., & Pirogov, V. (2020, October 6). Kyrgyzstan on edge of chaos after opposition storms government buildings. Retrieved from Reuters: reuters.com/article/idUSKBN26R05T

ISACHENKOV, V. (2021, November 29). Opposition in Kyrgyzstan challenges election results. Retrieved from The Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-elections-asia-election-recounts-ad85dc8ea1da4075524ae4988969956d

Pannier, B. (2021, November 28). Five Takeaways From The Kyrgyz Parliamentary Elections. Retrieved from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-elections-five-takeaways-pannier/31584007.html

Reuters. (2021, November 28). Kyrgyzstan parliamentary election set to bolster president. Retrieved from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kyrgyzstan-parliamentary-election-expected-bolster-president-2021-11-28/

Wood, C. (2021, November 19). Looking Ahead to Kyrgyzstan’s Unpredictable Parliamentary Election. Retrieved from DIPLOMAT MEDIA: https://thediplomat.com/2021/11/looking-ahead-to-kyrgyzstans-unpredictable-parliamentary-election/