Kyrgyzstan calls new parliamentary election in December
21 October 2020, 10:04
The result of the October 4 election was followed by protests amid claims of manipulation and was later nullified by authorities.
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have called a new parliamentary election for December following a disputed vote that led to the resignation of the country’s president.
The October 4 parliamentary election saw a landslide win for pro-government parties, a result the opposition dismissed as having been manipulated.
Protesters took over government offices, prompting election authorities to nullify the results of the vote. Demonstrators also freed several opposition leaders, including Sadyr Zhaparov, who was quickly named the new prime minister.
Mr Zhaparov’s supporters threatened to storm government buildings, forcing President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to step down on October 15.
Mr Zhaparov succeeded him as the acting head of state.
On Wednesday, the Central Election Commission set a new parliamentary election for December 20. A presidential vote is expected in January.
The developments marked the third time in 15 years that a leader of the Central Asian country on the border with China has been forced out by a popular uprising.
As in the uprisings that ousted presidents in 2005 and 2010, the latest unrest was driven by clan rivalries which dominate the country’s politics.
Kyrgyzstan, one of the poorest countries to emerge from the former Soviet Union and which is a member of Russia-dominated economic and security alliances, hosts a Russian air base and depends on Moscow’s economic support. It was formerly was the site of a US air base that was used in the war in Afghanistan.
