Kyrgyzstani presidential election, 2011
Encyclopedia
Early presidential elections were held in Kyrgyzstan
on 30 October 2011 to replace Interim President
Roza Otunbayeva
. It was won in the first round by the former Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev
of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan
.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
was ousted by protesters and an interim government led by Roza Otunbayeva
was formed. An election and reform plan was unveiled on 19 April 2010.
to reduce presidential powers and strengthen democracy was held on 27 June 2010.
On 19 May 2010, it was announced that the presidential elections would not be held on 10 October 2010 together with parliamentary elections
, but rather in October 2011, and that Otunbayeva would remain president until 31 December 2011.
s and pass a televised language test to run for the office of president. Sixteen candidates then qualified to run in the election.
The candidates included:
The incumbent Otunbayeva has stated she would not run in the election. Omurbek Tekebayev
, party leader of the opposition Ata Meken Socialist Party, declared he would not be a candidate for the presidency on 22 September.
Parliament passed legislation((when)) that would censor the foreign media from broadcasting during the electoral campaign.
Turnout was over 57%.
Adakhan Madumarov and five other candidates said they would reject the result as several people could not vote according to their "constitutional rights" and that there had been multiple voting.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
on 30 October 2011 to replace Interim President
President of Kyrgyzstan
The President of Kyrgyzstan is the head of state and the highest official of Kyrgyzstan. The President, according to the constitution, "is the symbol of the unity of people and state power, and is the guarantor of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, and of an individual and citizen." The...
Roza Otunbayeva
Roza Otunbayeva
Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politican who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 7 April 2010 until 1 December 2011. She was sworn in on July 3, 2010, after acting as interim leader following the 2010 April revolution which led to the ousting of then President Kurmanbek...
. It was won in the first round by the former Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev
Almazbek Atambayev
Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev is the President of Kyrgyzstan since 1 December 2011. He previously was Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from 17 December 2010 to 1 December 2011, having also been Prime Minister from 29 March 2007 until 28 November 2007...
of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan
Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan
Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan is a political party in Kyrgyzstan. Members formed the party on 1 October 1993, but did not register with the Justice Ministry until 16 December 1994...
.
Background
The election followed the 2010 Kyrgyzstani riots, during which the incumbent PresidentPresident of Kyrgyzstan
The President of Kyrgyzstan is the head of state and the highest official of Kyrgyzstan. The President, according to the constitution, "is the symbol of the unity of people and state power, and is the guarantor of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, and of an individual and citizen." The...
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev is a politician who served as the second President of Kyrgyzstan, from 2005 to 2010...
was ousted by protesters and an interim government led by Roza Otunbayeva
Roza Otunbayeva
Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politican who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 7 April 2010 until 1 December 2011. She was sworn in on July 3, 2010, after acting as interim leader following the 2010 April revolution which led to the ousting of then President Kurmanbek...
was formed. An election and reform plan was unveiled on 19 April 2010.
Presidential terms
Under the new constitution, the presidential term is six years long, but re-election is barred.Date
The election date was announced on 22 April 2010; a constitutional referendumKyrgyzstani constitutional referendum, 2010
A constitutional referendum was held in Kyrgyzstan on 2010 to reduce presidential powers and strengthen democracy in the wake of the 2010 Kyrgyzstani riots. Parliamentary elections followed on 2010.-Background:...
to reduce presidential powers and strengthen democracy was held on 27 June 2010.
On 19 May 2010, it was announced that the presidential elections would not be held on 10 October 2010 together with parliamentary elections
Kyrgyzstani parliamentary election, 2010
An early parliamentary election was held in Kyrgyzstan on 10 October 2010. All 120 seats of the Jogorku Kenesh were elected by using a party list system...
, but rather in October 2011, and that Otunbayeva would remain president until 31 December 2011.
Candidates
The Central Election Commission announced that eighty-three candidates filed to run in the election by the deadline of 16 August. 16 candidates were nominated by parties, while the rest self-nominated. The candidates would have to collect 30,000 signatures, pay a fee of 100,000 Kyrgyzstani somKyrgyzstani som
The som is the currency of the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia. The ISO 4217 currency code is KGS. The som is sub-divided into 100 tyiyn...
s and pass a televised language test to run for the office of president. Sixteen candidates then qualified to run in the election.
The candidates included:
- Prime Minister Almazbek AtambayevAlmazbek AtambayevAlmazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev is the President of Kyrgyzstan since 1 December 2011. He previously was Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from 17 December 2010 to 1 December 2011, having also been Prime Minister from 29 March 2007 until 28 November 2007...
, party leader of the Social Democratic Party of KyrgyzstanSocial Democratic Party of KyrgyzstanSocial Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan is a political party in Kyrgyzstan. Members formed the party on 1 October 1993, but did not register with the Justice Ministry until 16 December 1994...
, who resigned his post in September to run for president. He is seen as the "flagbearer of reforms" that resulted in and from the new constitutionConstitution of KyrgyzstanThe Constitution of Kyrgyzstan is the supreme law of the Kyrgyz Republic . The constitution in force until 2010 was passed by referendum on 21 October 2007 and it is based on the first post-Soviet constitution originally adopted on 5 May 1993, a year and a half after the country had gained...
. - Former Emergency Situations Minister Kamchybek Tashiyev, party leader of Ata-ZhurtAta-ZhurtAta-Zhurt, sometimes Ata-Jurt, , or Fatherland, 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...
- Former head of State Security Adakhan Madumarov
- Former Prosecutor-General Kubatbek BaibolovKubatbek BaibolovKubatbek Baibolov is Interior Minister of Kyrgyzstan. He also serves as commander of Jalal-Abad.Before becoming a politician, he served as a KGB colonel and then as a businessman....
- Sooronbay Dyikanov
- Former President of the Supreme Court Kurmanbek Osmonov
- Former Mayor of Bishkek Marat Sultanov
The incumbent Otunbayeva has stated she would not run in the election. Omurbek Tekebayev
Omurbek Tekebayev
Omurbek Tekebayev is a Kyrgyz politician. He is a member and former speaker of the Kyrgyz Parliament, elected on March 28, 2005. Tekebaev is the leader of the Ata-Meken socialist party....
, party leader of the opposition Ata Meken Socialist Party, declared he would not be a candidate for the presidency on 22 September.
Campaign and controversies
Atambayev had the most funds for his campaign and gained a significant share of exposure, thus he said the election could be over in one round itself. He added that "I have bright hopes; it is time for our country to live, achieve harmony and flourish. People are tired of political battles and meetings." However Tashiyev and Adakha Madumarov have on multiple occasions suggested that there could be vote-rigging during the election. Tashiyev said that: "The main thing is that there should be no evidence of fraud and the election results must not be falsified."Ethnic issues
Following the ethnic riots in 2010, tensions between the indigenous Kyrgyz and Uzbeks continue to be volatile in the south with the region being viewed as a political battleground.Observers and media accredition
The CEC announced on 21 July that it had accredited 40 television and radio broadcasting companies, as well as 103 print media outlets to cover the election, however it refused to consider doing so for 11 internet news agencies. The OSCE said that almost 400 international observers from 41 countries would monitor the election.Parliament passed legislation((when)) that would censor the foreign media from broadcasting during the electoral campaign.
Opinion poll
Opinion polls suggested Atambayev was the clear favourite. Madumarov and Tashiyev, both from the south, are Atambayev's closest challengers.Result
Former Prime Minister Atambayev won the presidential election by a large margin in the first round and will become new President of Kyrgyzstan.Turnout was over 57%.
Reactions
After voting, Atambayev said that: "A parliamentary system is more suited to the nomadic spirit of the people." After 95% of the votes suggested Atambayev had more than 60% of the vote. His campaign spokesman Kadyr Toktogulov said that "Atambayev secured a national victory. There is a very small split in the amount of votes he got in the north and the south.Irregularities
Douglas Wake, a monitor from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, said that the election was competitive but there were some issues in regards to the voter lists and the transparency of the process. Sooronbay Dyikanov said that he could not vote because his name was not on the voter list: "The central election committee says this is a mistake, and regional election commissions are the ones who are responsible for this. At the same time he [Dyikanov] says that this is done deliberately." There were numerous other voters who could not vote for the same reason.Adakhan Madumarov and five other candidates said they would reject the result as several people could not vote according to their "constitutional rights" and that there had been multiple voting.
External links
- Central Election Commission (in Kyrgyz and Russian)