After the arrests of opposition figures and the closure of independent media, polling stations opened in Kyrgyzstan for long-term parliamentary elections, UNN reports with reference to AP.

DetailsPresident Sadyr Japarov hopes to strengthen his influence by suppressing his rivals.

The vote was only supposed to take place next year. Officials explain this prematurity by the fact that otherwise, the parliamentary elections would take place too close to the 2027 presidential elections.

The electoral system has also undergone changes. According to the Central Election Commission, 467 candidates are competing for 90 seats in Kyrgyzstan’s unicameral parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh. There are gender requirements – at least one female legislator must be from each district.

It is worth noting that Kyrgyzstan, a member of economic and security alliances dominated by Russia, has a Russian airbase and depends on Moscow’s economic support.

The suppression of the opposition and independent media, economic growth, and support for Russia guarantee the current ruling elite’s retention of power. The opposition is practically not participating in the elections. The elections will be very predictable and, as some have already described, boring.

A week before the elections, the Kyrgyz authorities launched a wave of searches and interrogations of opposition figures, 10 of whom were arrested for calling for “mass riots.”

Journalists are also under attack. In late October, a Kyrgyz court declared three of the country’s leading independent media outlets – Kloop, Temirov Live, and AitAit Dese – “extremist organizations,” the first such decision in the country’s history.

The decision prohibits access to the publications’ websites in Kyrgyzstan, as well as activities “under the leadership or with the participation” of journalists Bolot Temirov and Rinat Tukhvatshin, who headed Temirov Live and Kloop, respectively.

Analysts believe that the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan are a rehearsal for the presidential elections, which are already scheduled for January 2027, and that control over the new parliament will allow current President Japarov to prepare for the presidential campaign.

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