2010 Kyrgyz Parliamentary Election
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Early parliamentary elections were held in
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
on 10 October 2010. All 120 seats of the Supreme Council were elected by the
party list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
system.Kyrgyzstan set for crucial vote
''
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
''. 9 October 2010. Seats were allocated to all parties who obtained more than 5% of the vote overall and more than 0.5% in each of the nine
provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
, capped at 65 seats per party.
Ata-Zhurt Ata-Zhurt ( ky, Ата-журт, , sometimes romanized as Ata-Jurt) is a political party in Kyrgyzstan. Its political base is in the south of the country, but the party is headquartered in the capital Bishkek. The party is led by Kamchybek Tash ...
won a plurality of seats, while the ruling
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...
finished second and
Ar-Namys Ar-Namys ( ky, Ар-Намыс, meaning ''Dignity'') is a political party in Kyrgyzstan founded on July 9, 1999, by former Prime Minister Felix Kulov. The party quickly became the nation's leading opposition party but was barred from the 2000 pa ...
came third.


Background

In April 2010,
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Kurmanbek Bakiyev Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev (, ''Kurmanbek Saliyevich (Sali Uulu) Bakiyev''; born 1 August 1949) is a Kyrgyz politician who served as the second President of Kyrgyzstan, from 2005 to 2010. Large opposition protests in April 2010 led to the tak ...
was ousted, which brought to power an interim government led by
Roza Otunbayeva Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva (Kyrgyz: Роза Исаковна (Исак кызы) Отунбаева, Roza Isakovna (Isak kyzy) Otunbayeva; born August 23, 1950) is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politician who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 7 A ...
. An election and reform plan was unveiled on 19 April 2010. A
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
in June overwhelmingly approved a reform to turn the country from a
presidential system A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...
to a
parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
. The new constitution would allow the parliament to choose a
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and also to play a key role in forming the new government. Kyrgyzstan's geostrategic location is vital because it supplies the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
through the
Manas Air Base Transit Center at Manas (formerly Manas Air Base and unofficially Ganci Air Base) is a former U.S. military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. It was primarily operated by the U.S. Air ...
, and it is also the only country to host both an American and Russian base. Political developments in 2010 also pleased the US but were an annoyance to Russia, who warned that the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia could be catastrophic for Kyrgyzstan. Russia also considers the area as its
sphere of influence In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence (SOI) is a spatial region or concept division over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military or political exclusivity. While there may be a formal al ...
. Originally, the
presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pr ...
were to be held on the same day. However, these were delayed until October 2011, with Otunbayeva remaining president until 31 December 2011.


Electoral system

In the previous election, there were 90 seats, though this was increased to 120 after the constitutional referendum. According to Article 77 of the Kyrgyz Republic Code on Elections, the threshold for the allotment of seats is receiving five percent of the votes of all eligible voters entered on the voter rolls. For this reason, only the top five parties (Ata-Zhurt, SDPK, Ar-Namys, Respublika and Ata-Meken) were allotted seats. The sixth party, Butun Kyrgyzstan, received more than five percent of the votes cast, but because it did not receive more than five percent of the votes of all eligible voters entered on the voter rolls, it was not allotted any seats. Article 77 also requires parties to win 0.5% of the votes of all eligible voters in each ''
oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom of ...
'' of Kyrgyzstan, as well as the cities of Bishkek and Osh. Though Ata-Zhurt won the plurality of the vote, especially with their southern stronghold, an electoral official said they barely overcame the 0.5% barrier in Bishkek and in Chüy Region.


Campaign

Over 3,000 candidates from 29 political parties competed for the 120 seats, with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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saying that no party could easily win a majority and the result was hard to predict. Leaflets distributed in the south of the country urged people "not to tolerate" parties led by northerners, in a sign of remaining tensions following the 2010 South Kyrgyzstan riots. ''Ar-Namys'' opposed the newly founded parliamentary system and said it would restore the older system of presidential rule. ''Ata-Zhurt'' campaigned for the return of Bakiyev from his exile in Belarus, and also advocated a return to presidential rule.
Roza Otunbayeva Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva (Kyrgyz: Роза Исаковна (Исак кызы) Отунбаева, Roza Isakovna (Isak kyzy) Otunbayeva; born August 23, 1950) is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politician who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 7 A ...
vowed to uphold a "spirit of fairness and transparency." She also talked of the importance of the election: "These elections are of fateful importance for our people and state. We are not just electing a parliament but starting a new system and opening a new page in our history." A month before election she threatened to introduce a state of emergency, and as a result postpone voting if parties escalated tensions in the country.


Opinion polls

It said six parties were expected to exceed the 5% threshold and win seats. A poll of 1,500 people in late September by Perspectiva showed seven parties crossing the 5% threshold to win seats: The Kyrgyz nationalist party, Ata-Zhurt, were expected to do well among ethnic Kyrgyz in the south. Ata-Meken and the SPDK were supporters of the interim administration.


Conduct

The organisations conducting monitoring were in the first positions among NGO according to Mass Media for the period from August till October. Traditionally these are: "For Democracy and a Civil Society" Coalition of NGO, "Taza Shailoo" Association. The "Free generation" Liberal Youth Alliance for the first time joined the supervision organization, and young men became target audience. On the day of voting in 127 stations of the country, young short-term observers carried out monitoring of electoral rights within the limits of the campaign "Youth for fair elections. Let's prove it!" The election was observed by 850 international monitors from 32 organisations, including 300 monitors from the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
. The international team of observers hailed the vote, with the OSCE team saying the election were a step in the "further consolidation of the democratic process." While the observers said that this was unlike other elections in the past and did not have the same irregularities, they did point out some peculiarities whereas the Central Election Commission were underprepared for the polls, and such ""under-the-counter dealings" may have taken place. Only one observer had a negative reaction to the vote, though most were satisfied that this was a "step in the right direction." Otunbayeva, who had refused to push back the election despite warnings of potential new unrest, hailed the election: "We have not known such elections for the last 20 years." Despite her comments, the government was reported to have been "plunged into a state of shock" over the results. Russia's ''
Kommersant ''Kommersant'' (russian: Коммерсантъ, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia ...
'' reported that the victory of ''Ata-Zhurt'' was a blow to the interim government. Kamchibek Tashiyev, the head of Ata-Zhurt, said he had been attacked. "They broke in like bandits...I think they intended to shoot me. I believe they tried to eliminate me – the forces that want to cancel election results and impose a state of emergency. I know for sure, GSNB (security services) was (''
sic The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
'') behind these actions." Protestors attacked the offices of the Ata-Zhurt party, burned campaign leaflets and demanded they be banned from the vote. Zarylbek Rysaliyev, the interior minister, also claimed to know of about 10 "areas of potential clashes with some hotheads planning to snatch ballot boxes."Kyrgyz storm political party HQ
''
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'', 6 October 2010. There were also concerns in the international media of a renewal of ethnic strife that occurred earlier in the year.


Results


Reactions

The result was also called a surprise because of the victory of Ata-Zhurt and its calls for Bakiyev's return, despite the election taking place under the auspices of the government that overthrew him. Thus this result "would seem to neutralize the uprising" earlier in the year. With a razor-thin plurality, the party would need an alliance of two other parties but it was seen as an "unenviable task" to form a coalition. A weak government could even force another election before the government's mandate runs out. Parallels were also drawn to the failure to form a government in Iraq following the
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
there and the possibility for more instability. Furthermore, there was uncertainty in regards to the American-leased Manas air base as Ata-Zurt campaigned against extending the lease past 2011. An analyst in Kazakhstan also suggested the election would "face its toughest test" if the losers opt to challenge the results in both the courts and the streets. "If certain people know they will lose their high-ranking posts after the election, then it's in their interest to destabilise the situation. They could take steps to remain in power or create chaos." ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' said the biggest surprise of the election was that it was "not a foregone conclusion," and thus it made this "small...nation the first in Central Asia to hold free elections in pursuit of a democratic system." It also quoted Alexey Malashenko of the
Carnegie Moscow Center The Carnegie Moscow Center () was a Moscow-based think tank that focuses on domestic and foreign policy. It was established in 1994 as a regional affiliate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It was the number one think tank in Ce ...
who said "These elections were very successful because they took place at all. Kyrgyzstan showed it is an exception in Central Asia. Despite many predictions to the contrary, the elections were held." US President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
congratulated Kyrgyzstan for this "historic" election, and said it proved that the Kyrgyz people were "committed to power transfers by peaceful, democratic means." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he feared there would be "difficulties" after the poll. "An abrupt shift to a parliamentary model can create difficulties...Now some difficult work to form a coalition lies ahead."


Aftermath

The result was seen as setting the stage for a fractured legislature without much capacity for decision-making, with ''Ar-Namys'' likely to play the role of
kingmaker A kingmaker is a person or group that has great influence on a royal or political succession, without themselves being a viable candidate. Kingmakers may use political, monetary, religious and military means to influence the succession. Origina ...
. Following the election, SDPK, Respublika and Ata-Meken agreed on a coalition in late November. However, as soon as the coalition was officially agreed to on 2 December, it collapsed when it failed to elect a speaker of parliament (with only 58 of the 67 coalition MPs voting for the designated speaker in a secret vote). On 15 December, Respublika announced it had successfully negotiated the creation of a coalition government with SDPK and Ata-Zhurt. SDPK's
Almazbek Atambayev Almazbek Sharshen uluu Atambayev ( ky, Алмазбек Шаршен уулу Атамбаев, translit=Almazbek Şarşen uulu Atambayev; born 17 September 1956) is a Kyrgyz politician who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 1 December 2 ...
became
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
with 92-seats in the 120-seat chamber, Ata-Zhurt's
Akhmatbek Keldibekov Akhmatbek Keldibekov (born 16 June 1966) was the Speaker of Parliament in Kyrgyzstan as of 17 December 2010, in office until 2011. He is a member of the Ata-Zhurt party. He was elected with 101 votes in favour and 14 against as part of the format ...
was chosen as Speaker of Parliament with 101 to 14 votes and Respublika's Omurbek Babanov would then become Deputy Prime Minister. The new government was approved later on the same day.


References


External links


Party platforms

An abridged version of the Final Report about parliamentary elections of 2010 in Kyrgyzstan (English)

A full version of the Final Report about parliamentary elections of 2010 in Kyrgyzstan (Russian)
{{Kyrgyz elections Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010 Elections in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
2010 in Kyrgyzstan October 2010 events in Asia