Politics of Kyrgyzstan
16698
211912543
2008-05-12T17:40:24Z
Katsuhagi
840126
/* Political history since independence */
{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}{{Politics of Kyrgyzstan}}The '''Politics of Kyrgyzstan''' take place in a framework of a [[semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[republic]], whereby the [[President of Kyrgyzstan|President]] is [[head of state]] and the [[Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan]] is [[head of government]], and of multi-party system in development. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[government]] and parliament.
==Political history since independence==
In the first years of [[Kyrgyzstan]]'s full independence, President [[Askar Akayev]] appeared wholeheartedly committed to the reform process. However, despite the backing of major Western donors, including the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF), Kyrgyzstan had consequential economic difficulties from the outset. These came mainly as a result of the breakup of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] trading bloc, which impeded the Republic's smooth transfer to a [[Free market|free-market]] economy.
In [[1993]], allegations of [[Political corruption|corruption]] against Akayev's closest political associates blossomed into a major scandal. One of those accused of improprieties was Vice President [[Feliks Kulov]], who resigned for ethical reasons in December. Following Kulov's resignation, Akayev dismissed the government and called upon the last [[communist]] premier, [[Apas Djumagulov]], to form a new one. In January [[1994]], Akayev initiated a [[referendum]] asking for a renewed mandate to complete his term of office. He received 96.2% of the vote.
A new [[Constitution]] was passed by the Parliament in May 1993. In 1994, however, the Parliament failed to produce a [[quorum]] for its last scheduled session prior to the expiration of its term (February [[1995]]). President Akayev was widely accused of having manipulated a boycott by a majority of the parliamentarians. Akayev, in turn, asserted that the communists had caused a political crisis by preventing the legislature from fulfilling its role. Akayev scheduled an October 1994 referendum, overwhelmingly approved by voters, that proposed two amendments to the Constitution, one that would allow the Constitution to be amended by means of a referendum, and the other creating a new bicameral parliament called the ''[[Jogorku Keņesh]]''.
[[Image:E7890-Kyrgyzstan-House-of-Government.JPG|thumb|left|The [[White House, Bishkek|'White House']] in Bishkek is the presidential office building where the work of the executive branch of the Kyrgyz government is carried out.]]
Elections for the two legislative chambers - a 35-seat full-time assembly and a 70-seat part-time assembly - were held in February 1995 after campaigns considered remarkably free and open by most international observers, although the election-day proceedings were marred by widespread irregularities. Independent candidates won most of the seats, suggesting that personalities prevailed over ideologies. The new Parliament convened its initial session in March 1995. One of its first orders of business was the approval of the precise constitutional language on the role of the legislature.
Kyrgyzstan's independent political parties competed in the [[1996]] parliamentary elections. A February 1996 referendum - in violation of the Constitution and the law on referendums - amended the Constitution to give President Akayev more power. It also removed the clause that parliamentarians be directly elected by universal suffrage. Although the changes gave the President the power to dissolve Parliament, it also more clearly defined Parliament's powers. Since that time, Parliament has demonstrated real independence from the executive branch.
An October [[1998]] referendum approved constitutional changes, including increasing the number of deputies in the upper house, reducing the number of deputies in the lower house, rolling back Parliamentary immunity, reforming land tender rules, and reforming the state budget.
Two rounds of Parliamentary elections were held on [[February 20]], [[2000]] and [[March 12]], 2000. With the full backing of the [[United States]], the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]] reported that the elections failed to comply with commitments to free and fair elections and hence were invalid. Questionable judicial proceedings against opposition candidates and parties limited the choice of candidates available to Kyrgyz voters, while state-controlled media reported favorably on official candidates only and government officials put pressure on independent media outlets that favored the opposition.
In [[2002]] [[Azimbek Beknazarov]], a leading opposition figure, was imprisoned by the local authorities, in what many believe to be politically motivated circumstances. This led to protests resulting in clashes with police forces, culminating in the death of 5 people in [[Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan|Jalal-Abad]].
As May approached the authorities further extended their hold on power, imprisoning the vocal former Presidential ally, [[Feliks Kulov]], to 10 years for alleged "abuses of office". During the same month the entire government resigned, accepting blame for the loss of life during the protests earlier in the year. A new government lead by [[Nikolay Tanayev]] was then formed and has remained ever since.
In November the President faced yet more protests, as the opposition announced it would march on the capital and demand his resignation. The police reacted by arresting large amounts of demonstrators, further adding to international disapproval at the authoritarian nature of Akayev's government.
[[Image:E8160-Tamchy--police-station.jpg|thumb|Government office building in the village of [[Tamchy]], [[Issyk Kul Province]]]]
By June [[2003]], the lower house of Parliament announced that President Akayev and two other "puppet" leaders of Kyrgyzstan, from the Soviet era, would be given lifetime immunity from prosecution, raising the prospect of Akayev finally stepping down.
The opposition parties have since announced they will form a coalition to fight those parties linked to the government in the 2005 elections.
In [[2005]], following disputed results of the [[Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2005|2005 parliamentary elections]], Kyrgyzstan was thrown into a state of political turmoil, with different parties claiming that they were the legitimate government. On [[10 July]] [[2005]] interim President and [[People's Movement of Kyrgyzstan|opposition]] leader [[Kurmanbek Bakiyev]] won the [[Kyrgyz presidential election, 2005|presidential election]] in a [[landslide victory]]. (See: [[Tulip Revolution]]).
In [[2006]], Bakiyev faced a political crisis as thousands of people demonstrated in a series of protests in [[Bishkek]]. They accused him of reneging on promised constitutional reforms limiting presidential power and giving more authority to the parliament and cabinet. They also accused him of failing to eradicate corruption, crime, and poverty. [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/69EB374D-9459-4936-9311-23B1EF638C26.htm] Bakiyev in turn accused the opposition of plotting a coup against him. Several parliamentarians had been killed during the political unrest. [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/ECF18B83-A403-48E8-9253-168D6DC52487.htm]
==Executive branch==
{{office-table}}
|[[President of Kyrgyzstan|President]]
|[[Kurmanbek Bakiyev]]
|[[Ak Zhol (Kyrgyzstan)|Ak Zhol]]
|[[15 August]] [[2005]]
|-
|[[Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan|Prime Minister]]
|[[Igor Chudinov]]
|[[Ak Zhol (Kyrgyzstan)|Ak Zhol]]
|[[24 December]] [[2007]]
|}
The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The prime minister is nominated by the president and confirmed by the parliament. The Cabinet of Ministers is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister.
==Legislative branch==
In the Soviet era, Kyrgyzstan had a unicameral legislature which was replaced in 1995 by the [[bicameralism|bicameral]] '''[[Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan|Supreme Council]]''' (''Joghorku Keneš''). The Supreme Council consisted of the Assembly of People's Representatives (45 seats; members were elected by popular vote from single member [[constituency|constituencies]]) and the Legislative Assembly (60 seats; 45 members of which were elected by popular vote from single member constituencies, and 15 of which were from national party lists on a proportional basis with a 5% threshold).<ref name="Day">Day, Alan John (2002) ''Political Parties of the World'' (5<sup>th</sup> ed.) John Harper, London, p. 289, ISBN 0-9536278-7-X</ref> All legislative terms were five years.<ref name="Day"/>
In 2005, as part of the 2005 election process and in accordance with a 2003 referendum, the Parliament again became unicameral. The '''[[Legislative Assembly of Kyrgyzstan|Legislative Assembly]]''' (''Myizam Chygaruu Jyiyny'') had 75 members, elected for five year terms from single-seat constituencies.<ref>Finn, Peter (28 February 2005) "Elections in Kyrgyzstan Inconclusive: Most Legislative Races Forced Into Runoffs: Monitors Fault Atmosphere" ''The Washington Post'' p. A-10 </ref>
However, because of the political unrest, a new constitutional referendum was held on [[21 October]] 2007 which approved a new electoral system, enlarged the parliament to 90 members and introducing party-list voting.<ref name="BBCStaff">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7058557.stm Staff (23 October 2007) "'Many violations' in Kyrgyz vote" ''BBC News'']</ref> Party-list voting is a proportional representation system of voting, where candidates are selected from central party lists rather than locally elected. [[Kyrgyzstani parliamentary election, 2007|Early parliamentary elections]] were held on [[16 December]] 2007.<ref>''Kyrgyz News Agency'' (15 November 2007) "Three Kyrgyz parties withdraw bids to run for parliament" from ''BBC Monitoring: Central Asia Unit''</ref><ref>''Kyrgyz AKIpress'' (25 December 2007) "OSCE envoy condemns Kyrgyz crackdown on opposition" from ''BBC Monitoring: Central Asia Unit''</ref>
==Political parties and elections==
{{elect|List of political parties in Kyrgyzstan|Elections in Kyrgyzstan}}
{{Kyrgyzstan_presidential_election,_2005}}
More info [[Kyrgyz presidential election, 2005]]''
{{Kyrgyzstan parliamentary election, 2005}}
:''More info: [[Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2005]]''
{{Kyrgyzstan parliamentary election, 2007}}
:''More info: [[Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2007]]''
==Political pressure groups and leaders==
* [[Council of Free Trade Unions]]
* Kyrgyz Committee on [[Human rights in Kyrgyzstan|Human Rights]] - [[Ramazan Dyryldayev]]
* [[National Unity Democratic Movement]]
* [[Union of Entrepreneurs]]
==Judicial branch==
Although the constitution provides for an independent judiciary, Kyrgyzstan’s court system is widely seen as under the influence of the prosecutor’s office. Low salaries make the bribery of judges commonplace. Most cases originate in local courts; they then can move via the appeals process to municipal or regional courts, with the Supreme Court the final court of appeals. Property and family law disputes and low-level criminal cases are heard by traditional elders’ courts, which are loosely supervised by the prosecutor’s office. Economic disputes and military cases are heard in specialized courts. The constitutional amendments of 2003 expanded the scope of the Supreme Court in civil, criminal, and administrative proceedings. Many protections of Western jurisprudence are not present in Kyrgyzstan’s system, which retains many features of the Soviet system. The right to counsel and the presumption of innocence of the accused are guaranteed by law but often not practiced. There is no trial by jury. Reform legislation under consideration in 2006 would establish a jury system and bolster the independence of the judicial branch.<ref name=cp>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Kyrgyzstan.pdf Kyrgyzstan country profile]. [[Library of Congress]] [[Federal Research Division]] (January 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].</ref>
==Administrative divisions==
Kyrgyzstan is divided into 7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar):
* [[Batken Oblasty]] ([[Batken]])
* [[Bishkek Shaary]]*
* [[Chuy Oblasty]] (Bishkek)
* [[Jalal-Abad Oblasty]] ([[Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan|Jalal-Abad]])
* [[Naryn Oblasty]] ([[Naryn]])
* [[Osh Oblasty]] ([[Osh]])
* [[Talas Oblasty]] ([[Talas]])
* [[Ysyk-Kol Oblasty]] ([[Karakol]])
''note:'' administrative center names in parentheses
==International organization participation==
[[Asian Development Bank|AsDB]], [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]], [[Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council|EAPC]], [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development|EBRD]], [[ECO]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Criminal Court|ICCt]] (signatory), [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[Islamic Development Bank|IDB]], [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|IFRCS]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] (correspondent), [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] (observer), [[Organization of the Islamic Conference|OIC]], [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]], [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]], [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], [[Partnership for Peace|PFP]], [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization|SCO]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone|UNAMSIL]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo|UNMIK]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Tourism Organization|WToO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]]
==Notes==
<!--<nowiki>
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref> and </ref> tags.
</nowiki>-->
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
<references />
</div>
==External links==
*[http://www.ku.edu/~herron/ Erik Herron's Guide to Politics in East Central Europe and Eurasia]
*[http://www.kyrgyzreport.com Kyrgyz Report offers ongoing analysis, including an analysis of the clusters of political forces in the country and the roots of the country’s political problems]
[[Category:Politics of Kyrgyzstan|*]]
[[ja:キルギスの政治]]
[[es:Gobierno y política de Kirguistán]]
[[fr:Politique du Kirghizistan]]
[[pt:Política do Quirguistão]]