If at First you Don't Succeed: Kyrgyz Parliament Takes Another Shot at Forming Majority Coalition

by Ryan Weber

The march of Kyrgyzstan's fledgling parliamentary democracy took another hit on December 4 as the recently-announced "Coalition for the Sake of Stability" turned out to be a "Stillborn Coalition" as it failed to achieve its first test of forming a parliamentary government.

Despite its 3 parties controlling 67 delegates - a majority of the 120-seat Jogorku Kenesh parliament - it was only able to muster 58 votes in support of its candidate for Speaker of Parliament. That candidate, the leader of the Ata-Meken party and a former Speaker of Parliament, Omurbek Tekebaev (pictured below right), failed to receive the necessary 61 votes because 9 coalition MPs (identities unknown) didn't vote for him.

Tekebaev has been out of government positions since 2006, but remains a major player in Kyrgyz politics as a former opposition activist, interim deputy chaiman, and architect of the new Kyrgyz Constitution adopted in July. With the possible exception of President Roza Otunbayeva, he is the individual most responsible for adoption of the strong parliamentary system under which Kyrgyzstan is struggling to operate.

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Either/ Ore: Gold, Uranium and the Prospects for the Kyrgyz Economy

Is Kyrgyzstan the new El Dorado? photo from CA Newswire.

by Ryan Weber

In an October 21 article for CA Newswire, analyst Martin Sieff looks into the possibility that new deposits of gold and uranium could bolster the Kyrgyz economy and perhaps even remove the "resource-poor" moniker from the isolated, mountainous Central Asian country.

"Kyrgyzstan is usually described as resource-poor. But if the country can achieve political stability after its confusing and splintered parliamentary elections on October 10, it may have a far brighter future in the mining of precious minerals."

Sieff intelligently points out the while the global recession is hitting many sectors of the Russian and Kyrgyz economy hard, it also presents an opportunity in rare minerals:

"the weakness of the dollar and the euro on world markets has led to dramatic rises in the value of gold [and uranium], and consequently international mining corporations are showing a new eagerness in prospecting for gold in the remote Central Asian state."

Currently, Kyrgyzstan is ranked 22nd in gold-producing nations, putting out 18 tons of gold each year, but Seiff - working from reports by News Agency 24.kg - predicts that could rise as high as #15, up to 44 tons, with adequate international investment. Uranian, which is found in much smaller quantities in Kyrgyzstan, especially in comparison to the large fields in neighboring Kazakhstan, is also attracting some new attention.

According to Seiff, "In terms of known resources and the possibilities of un-surveyed or under-surveyed areas, Kyrgyzstan in fact shows great promise for finding significant new deposits of gold and uranium."

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