Repost from News Agency 24.kg
written by Daniyar Karimov
edited by Ryan Weber
Every year, thousands of organizations around the world hold their own year-end contests. Usually, as an exercise of vanity, they endeavor to name the "best" people in their respective field. Kyrgyzstan is no exception. We lavish diplomas, ranks, and honorable titles on politicians, public figures, and cultural artists.
News Agency 24.kg wanted to join in, but no to be banal, decided to hold a contest by contradiction: to find out who deserves the title as among the worst people of the last year.
Events of the last 12 months demonstrated that a lot of people, out of the former and current political limelight, deserve to be nominated for the (dis)honorable title of “Antihero.” In order to make the list manageable, we decided to limit ourselves to only the most exceptional examples.
In the category of [Kyrgyz] Anti-Hero of 2010, the Nominees are:
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Post-Vote, Declined Mandates Reshaped Kyrgyzstan’s Legislature
Reposted from Eurasianet.org
by Ryan Weber
Did Kyrgyzstan’s voters get the leaders they chose?
On December 17, the Respublika party announced the successful formation of a new governing coalition to lead Kyrgyzstan’s parliament. This second attempt at forming a majority succeeded where the first failed because Respublika, which led the effort, is unattached to the North/South regional divide or pro-/anti-government legacy of the other four winning parties.
But Respublika is unlike Kyrgyzstan’s other political parties in another way as well -- by the time the party came to power, most of its minorities and women had declined their seats in parliament, leaving a 100 percent ethnic Kyrgyz and mostly male party.
According to the Kyrgyz electoral code, voters cast ballots for a party’s list of candidates. Based on votes, each party is awarded a certain number of seats that go to the top candidates on their respective party lists. If a candidate declines his “mandate,” then the seat passes to the next highest candidate on his party’s list.
One candidate from Ata-Meken, Joomart Oturbayev, declined his mandate despite being #3 on the party’s list. There are rumors that Ata-Jurt co-chairman Kamchybek Tashiev wanted Dinara Isaeva, wife of former Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov (who is in hiding) and #12 on the Ata-Jurt party list, to decline hers, but she refused. Ata-Jurt, Ar-Namys, and the Social Democrats (SDPK) have not had a single candidate refuse a mandate.
Respublika, on the other hand, has had an incredible 18 mandates -- of its 23 total -- refused by candidates in the party’s top positions.
The combined effect of these voluntary exclusions has been to make Respublika’s parliamentary delegation much less diverse than its original party list -- the list voters elected. Alevtina Zavgorodnyaya (#8) and Yuri Nizovskii (#27), both ethnic Russians, were the only non-Kyrgyz candidates within Respublika’s top 50 positions. After they both declined their mandates, Respublika became the only party in parliament not to have a single non-Kyrgyz delegate. Four women candidates declined to enter parliament for Respublika, though five remained.
The resulting Respublika faction in parliament is exclusively Kyrgyz and 78 percent male -- i.e. not very representative of Kyrgyzstan as a whole.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
No Thank You: Many Respublika Candidates Refused Mandates
by Ryan Weber
Though not yet much reported, something odd took place in the 2010 Kyrgyz Parliamentary elections. It occurred after all the votes were tabulated, but before the new MPs were sworn in.
It wasn't fraud per se, nor was it at all illegal. Instead, it was the unusual expansion of a common, but usually isolated, practice of elected party candidates declining to accept a seat in parliament (their "mandate") on behalf of their party.
But this time, candidates from the Respublika party exercised their right to decline the mandates at an incredible rate.
Party List #, Name, Ethnicity, Mandate Decision
- Babanov, Omurbek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#1
- Alimbekov, Nurbek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#2
- Pirmatov, Ishaq - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#3
- Sultanbekova, Cholpon - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#4
- Isaev, Kanatbek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#5
- Torobaev, Bakyt - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#6
- Sulaimanov, Altynbek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#7
- Zavgorodnyaya, Alevtina - Russian - DECLINED
- Moldobaev, Askhat - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Baatyrbekov, Almazbek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#8
- Esenamanov, Zamirbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Aknazarova, Rosa - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#9
- Boko, Kenjebek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#10
- Aripov, Nazarali - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#11
- Turuskulov, Jyrgalbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Djumaliev, Elmira - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#12
- Obdunov, Elmurat - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#13
- Kadyrkulov, Iskender - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Osmonov, Malik - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#14
- Amanbaeva, Urulkan - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#15
- Arym, Kubat - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Aitmatov, Kushtarbek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#16
- Shaynazarov, Tynchtyk - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#17
- Omurbekova, Altynai - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#18
- Andash, Turatbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Ismailov, Ulanbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Nizovskii, Yuri - Russian - DECLINED
- Shayymkulova, Ainura - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Jolbolduev, Pamirbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Bakirov, Mirlan - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#19
- Oskonbaev, Beyshenbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Alimzhanova, Damir - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Asylbek, uulu Damirbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Duyshenbiev, Nursultan - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Murashev, Nurbek - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#20
- Dzhumabekova, Akylsayra - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Bekmatov, Abdyjapar - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#21
- Zakirov, Asylbek - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Sabirov, Maksat - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#22
- Sagynbaeva, Gulifa - Kyrgyz - DECLINED
- Rezhavaliev, Abdulatipov - Kyrgyz - Accepted, MP#23
What Mystery? US Probe reveals Bribery, Corruption, Incompetence... and No Ethics Violations?
by Ryan Weber
A new report from the US Congress highlights Pentagon malpractice in its fuel supply contracting in Kyrgyzstan. As the details of the report filter out, clear repurcussions are ahead for the companies involved, the US Afghan war effort, and the future of US-Kyrgyz relations. What remains obscure is how US government contracting could be conducted to such poor standards for so long, and how the new report justifies its assertion that corruption - in the form of bribes and other kick-backs to former Kyrgyz regimes - was not part of the problem.
Background
On December 21, the US House of Representatives Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs issued its final report on an 8-month investigation into US fuel supply contacts for the Manas Transit Center in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Situated on the grounds of the country's main international airport, within line-of-sight of commercial travelers, Manas ferries troops and supplies to Afghanistan as part of the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) .
When it was originally leased in December 2001, the US offered an aid package to the Kyrgyz government of Aksar Akayev totaling just over $2 million, a large portion of which went directly to Akayev's son, Aydar. Since then, two governments have fallen - Akayev's, and his 'revolutionary' successor Kurmanbek Bakiev - but Manas remains, first with an increase to $17 million annual rent in 2005, and now with a $63 million annual rent established in summer 2009. (See expert Alex Cooley's "Manas Matters" article for the above figures)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Skin & Bones: The Structure of the new Kyrgyz Parliament
by Ryan Weber
"It's fun to write about an ACTUAL Kyrgyz government instead of a hypothetical one."
-Jax Jacobsen, reporter for Central Asia Newswire, in a tweet on December 20th, 2010
With the December 17 announcement of a successful majority coalition agreement, the Kyrgyz Jogorku Kenesh parliament can finally get to the business of governing the Republic after more than 2 months of political stalemate. Following the results of the October 10 elections, 5 parties entered the 120-seat parliament, all far short of the 60 seats necessary to appoint a Prime Minister and other top positions. Ata-Jurt, the largest party, controlled just 28 seats, while Ata-Meken was the smallest with 18.
The successful coalition - even more impressive following the instantaneous collapse of the first such effort led by the Social Democrats (SDPK) - was undertaken by the Respublika party, and included 'pro-grovernment' SDPK as well as the nationalist-tinged Ata-Jurt.
Ata-Meken and Ar-Namys went into the opposition, but are unlikely to caucasus given their radically different positions on domestic and foreign policy. The same could be said of the relationship between SDPK and Ata-Jurt, though the coalition agreement suggests they may have found ways to compromise.
In rapid succession, the new coalition was able to fulfill its mandate by electing the new government's top leadership. Almazbek Atambaev of SDPK becomes Prime Minister (92 votes), Omurbek Babanov of Respublika becomes Deputy Prime Minister (88 votes), and Akhmat Khelidbekov of Ata-Jurt becomes Speaker of Parliament (101 votes).
In rapid succession, the new coalition was able to fulfill its mandate by electing the new government's top leadership. Almazbek Atambaev of SDPK becomes Prime Minister (92 votes), Omurbek Babanov of Respublika becomes Deputy Prime Minister (88 votes), and Akhmat Khelidbekov of Ata-Jurt becomes Speaker of Parliament (101 votes).
All three positions are newly-empowered by the 2010 Kyrgyz Constitution, which elevates Parliamentary executives over the Kyrgyz President for the first time in the country's 20 years of independence.
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