Council for a Community of Democracies

Turmoil in Kyrgyzstan
April 24, 2007 | Printer Friendly

Edil Baisalov, director of the Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society – “the largest civic grass-roots network and democracy watchdog group in Kyrgyzstan since 1999,” according to RFL/RL – spoke on the future of democracy in Kyrgyzstan and the proposed constitution at a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty presentation on Tuesday, April 10, 2007. His presentation came the day before massive opposition protests were held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. These opposition protesters are calling for “early presidential elections and promised constitutional reform,” according to VOA. (http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-04-11-voa15.cfm)

Baisalov said that the Kyrgyz people do not consider the events of March 2005 (dubbed the “Tulip Revolution” by Western media) a revolution; instead, he characterizes it as simply “a change of a few name plates on the highest floors; everything [else] remained [the same].” Additionally, he described the mood among civil society and NGOs as disappointing. The leaders have failed to deliver on promises they made during the March 2005 turmoil, which led to the ousting of then-President Askar Akayev.

Instead of reform, Baisalov said that the level of corruption in Kyrgyzstan has increased and the influence of organized crime on both society and the government is growing stronger. According to RFE/RL, many in Kyrgyzstan’s lively civil society have spoken out against this influence, often at the expense of their own safety: Baisalov himself was the target of an assassination attempt in April 2006 for “his vocal criticism of organized crime.” An additional problem facing democratic reform in Kyrgyzstan is the split in the opposition between those who support former Prime Minster Kulov and those who support current Prime Minster Atambaev. A larger -- and potentially more detrimental -- split, Baisalov warned, is the growing North/South divide, which threatens the stability of the entire country.

Kyrgyzstan is divided by the Tian Shan mountain range, geographically separating the northern part of the country and its people from the southern part. This physical separation has led to a developmental and cultural (clan-based) division as well, which has created competition between peoples from each region. Typically the leadership of Kyrgyzstan vacillates between a leader from the north and one from the south, which usually causes people from the region not in power to accuse the government of favoring the opposing region. Baisalov said this divide hasn’t always been a large factor in Kyrgyzstan, but that now southerners are continuing to support President Bakiyev, a southerner, while his support among the northerner opposition is eroding.

Biaslov believes that neither democracy, nor a constitution, can be forced; instead, he wants the draft constitution to be sent to the people to be ratified. Currently there are two drafts that are ready for debate by the Kyrgyz parliament. If one is adopted, Baisalov said his country could see new parliamentary elections by fall 2007.