Bulgarian Observer: Kyrgyzstan Elections 'Tremendous Achievement'

Kyrgyz soldiers cast their ballots during the parliamentary elections in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 10 October 2010. EPA/BGNES

The democratic elections held Sunday in Kyrgyzstan are a "tremendous achievement", according to a monitoring mission of the European Parliament including Bulgarian MEP Mariya Nedelcheva.

According to the three MEP observers from the European Peoples Party, the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan on October 10, 2010, constitute the first truly democratic elections in Central Asia.

The election results themselves are putting Kyrgyzstan to a new test as five parties got more than the 5% of the votes needed to enter Parliament but none of them emerged as a clear-cut winner.

According to the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan, the nationalist party Ata-Zhurt won 8.69% of the votes, the Social Democratic party came second with 8.09%, followed by the pro-Russian Ar-Namys party of former prime minister Felix Kulov with 7.48%, and the Respublika party, with 7.12% of the votes, and the pro-governmental Ata-Meken party with 5.79%.

A total of 29 political parties competed for 120 seats in the new government in which the prime minister will have more power than the president. Seats will be distributed proportionately to parties passing the 5-percent threshold nationwide and at least 0.5 percent in each of Kyrgyzstan's administrative regions and two key cities.

"By participating in the first free and pluralistic elections, the Kyrgyz people clearly demonstrated that they want democracy. The elections constitute a historical chance for the newly elected parliament to form a government that represents the will of the people. After the tragic events of June this year, this outcome is a tremendous achievement, for which respect must be paid to President Roza Otenbaeva, who has worked hard to ensure free and fair elections," said in a statement the three EPP MEPs Mariya Nedelcheva (Bulgaria), Pawel Zalewski (Poland) and Joachim Zeller (Germany), who participated in the OSCE-led Election Observation Mission in Kyrgyzstan.

"Given the fact that the new parliament respects the will of the people, we expect the newly formed government to continue the path of modernization and democratization", said MEP Zeller.

As stated by MEP Zalewski, "it must be ensured that civil liberties are respected and granted to all citizens, including the Uzbek minority".

Furthermore, MEP Nedelcheva pointed out that "efforts are needed to advance economic reforms".

In order to support Kyrgyzstan on its path towards democratisation, all three MEPs therefore call on the European institutions, in particular the European Commission and the newly created EEAS to intensify their cooperation with the Kyrgyz Republic.

After the violent overthrow of former Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April 2010 amidst large opposition rallies, the October 10 elections are the first for the country since the interim led by Roza Otunbaeva took over.

The outcome of the elections will have wider repercussions for Eurasian geopolitics because of the fate of the Manas Transit Center, an airbase used by the USA.

Ata-Zhurt has made closing the Manas Transit Center a central part of its political program. The previous government had vowed to keep it open.

"The American base has become a source of conflict. The American base should not be on the territory of our country," Kamchibek Tashiyev, the Ata-Zhurt Chairman, said in an interview last month.

Kyrgyzstan is the only country in the world to host both a US and a Russian airbase. Since Uzbekistan evicted a US airbase five years ago, the nearest alternative is the US airbase in Bahrain. The far greater distance would significantly add to the cost of fuelling the war

The Manas Transit Center was opened three months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and is a crucial supply link for the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

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