Kyrgyz presidential election, 2005
Encyclopedia
Kyrgyzstan
held a presidential
election
on 10 July 2005. It saw a landslide victory
for acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev, marking the end of his interim government
formed after the previous President, Askar Akayev
, was overthrown in the revolution in March, 2005.
Nikolai Tanayev
also resigned within the same day creating a power vacuum. The constitution
clearly states 'If the President becomes unable to carry out their duties for reasons such as death, illness or impeachment, the Prime Minister shall carry out their duties until the election of a new Head of State. This must take place within three months of the termination of their Presidency.' This therefore presented the Kyrgyz parliament with a legal problem. Ishenbai Kadyrbekov
, the Speaker of Parliament
immediately assumed power, unconstitutionally. The next day, opposition
leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev
was appointed Prime Minister and thus Interim President.
The interim period was one of increasing political tension and a breakdown in the rule of law
. The new unicameral parliament - elected amid allegations of fraud - went into session on 22 March. However its mandate was revoked just two days later, with the Supreme Court
declaring the old chamber the rightful body. This decision was then once more revoked by an agreement between the rival chambers. The "old" parliament
dissolved itself, and the "new" parliament gained recognition as the legitimate body (although a number of individual seats remained in dispute and subject to review by courts). This drew some protests from people who argued that the uprising
was in direct relation to the rigged election which had created the new legislature. Additionally Bermet Akayeva
and other politicians were allowed to sit in the new chamber for a significant period, before also having their mandate's declared null and void.
The former President, Akayev refused to resign until April, creating a legally questionable period whereby two Heads of State existed (The parliament had allowed Bakiyev to take over without impeaching Akayev or initiating any legal process that formally ended his Presidency). The former leader's lawyers are still claiming that he legally remains President of Kyrgystan.
An upsurge in violence also occurred following the revolution. On 1 June hundreds of people forced their way into Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court ejecting protesters who had held it for more than a month. The occupation was being held in support of candidates who lost during parliamentary elections in April. The sit-in
had prevented the court from operating. After an hour of clashes, unarmed police and soldiers reportedly managed to separate the two groups, whilst one witness said they had seen several injured people taken away in ambulances.
Kyrgyz legislator Jyrgalbek Surabaldiev was shot dead in Bishkek
, on 10 June, following an attack on another politician Bayaman Erkinbayev
in April. During the same day protesters, allegedly demonstrating against Erkinbayev, were fired on in the southern city of Osh
. At least one person was killed, and five others were injured as a result of the violence.
who polled 14%. Former Vice-President and opposition leader Felix Kulov
had initially decided to run in the 2005 poll, but later withdrew from the race. This followed an agreement with acting President Bakyiev, whereby Kulov would become Prime Minister should the interim leader win the election. Urmatbek Baryktabasov, a businessman from eastern Karakol
, was refused registration for the election, after authorities cited his alleged Kazakh
citizenship. More than 100 Kyrgyz protesters demanding his registration subsequently stormed Bishkek's main government building, occupying it for several hours.
Six candidates were registered: acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev; businessman Akbaraly Aitikeev
; ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir uulu
; former Interior Minister
Keneshbek Duishebaev; Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan head Jypar Jeksheev; and Non-governmental organization
activist Toktaim Umetalieva. Former Jalalabad Province Governor Jusupbek Sharipov, a seventh candidate, withdrew from the race on 23 June. He said that he wished to support Bakiev-Kulov, and work towards national unity.
The candidates met each other in a series of televised head-to-head debates from 4 July, culminating in a gathering of all individuals on Friday 8 July.
(369 observers), Commonwealth of Independent States
Mission (261), National Democratic Institution (32), “Future without corruption” PU (24), Shanghai Cooperation Organization
, International Democratic Institution, embassies and other organisations. In total, 810 observers and 187 foreign correspondents intend to cover the ballot.
With Bakiev expected to easily win, the authorities feared a low turnout
. However by 17:00 (Bishkek time) the Central Election Commission declared that around 53 percent of voters had participated. The law states that one vote over 50 percent is needed for the election to be deemed valid. The preliminary results of the ballot show that after 1967 polling stations out of 2181 (90.19%) returned results Bakiev has secured a landslide. The central election commission announced that 88.82% of voters supported the acting President with his nearest rival, Tursunbai Bakir uulu, obtaining just 3.73%. The new Head of State
therefore was elected without the need for a second round of voting.
The OSCE declared the process as "tangible progress toward meeting OSCE and other international commitments" in its internet press release the following day. However, election monitors observed a "small number of serious irregularities," particularly during vote counting. Kimmo Kiljunen, head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation, told a news conference in Bishkek on 11 July. Representatives of the CIS-EMO however stated "It is impossible to say that the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan were fair and met the international standards in full". The group had previously said that the disputed Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2005
were "free and fair".
Maksim Maksimovich, the lawyer of former President Akayev, claimed he could not vote in Moscow
because his name had not been included on a voter list. His daughter, Bermet Akaeva however voted without incident in Bishkek. She claimed to have voted for the candidate who would not lead the country into catastrophe, according to RIA-Novosti news agency
.
Bakiyev was sworn in to office on the 14 August, in Bishkek.
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...
held a presidential
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...
election
Elections in Kyrgyzstan
Elections in Kyrgyzstan gives information on election and election results in Kyrgyzstan.Kyrgyzstan elects on the national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a single six-year term by the people...
on 10 July 2005. It saw a landslide victory
Landslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
for acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev, marking the end of his interim government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
formed after the previous President, Askar Akayev
Askar Akayev
Askar Akayevich Akayev served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until his overthrow in the March 2005 Tulip Revolution....
, was overthrown in the revolution in March, 2005.
Post revolution transition
On Thursday 24 March 2005, President Akayev fled the country as protesters overran government buildings. The Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Nikolai Tanayev
Nikolai Tanayev
Nikolay Timofeyevich Tanayev served as the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from 2002 to 2005, under President Askar Akayev. He is an ethnic Russian. He served as Deputy Prime Minister under Kurmanbek Bakiyev and was made acting PM on 22 May 2002 after Akayev fired Bakiyev...
also resigned within the same day creating a power vacuum. The constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
clearly states 'If the President becomes unable to carry out their duties for reasons such as death, illness or impeachment, the Prime Minister shall carry out their duties until the election of a new Head of State. This must take place within three months of the termination of their Presidency.' This therefore presented the Kyrgyz parliament with a legal problem. Ishenbai Kadyrbekov
Ishenbai Kadyrbekov
Ishenbai Duyshonbiyevich Kadyrbekov was the parliament speaker and the interim president of Kyrgyzstan in March 2005.-References:-See also:* Politics of Kyrgyzstan...
, the Speaker of Parliament
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
immediately assumed power, unconstitutionally. The next day, opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev is a politician who served as the second President of Kyrgyzstan, from 2005 to 2010...
was appointed Prime Minister and thus Interim President.
The interim period was one of increasing political tension and a breakdown in the rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
. The new unicameral parliament - elected amid allegations of fraud - went into session on 22 March. However its mandate was revoked just two days later, with the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
declaring the old chamber the rightful body. This decision was then once more revoked by an agreement between the rival chambers. The "old" parliament
Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan
The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan is the unicameral Parliament of Kyrgyzstan. It has 120 seats with members elected for a five-year term by party-list proportional voting.-History:...
dissolved itself, and the "new" parliament gained recognition as the legitimate body (although a number of individual seats remained in dispute and subject to review by courts). This drew some protests from people who argued that the uprising
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
was in direct relation to the rigged election which had created the new legislature. Additionally Bermet Akayeva
Bermet Akayeva
Bermet Askarevna Akayeva is a Kyrgyz politician and former MP. She is the daughter of ousted former President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev...
and other politicians were allowed to sit in the new chamber for a significant period, before also having their mandate's declared null and void.
The former President, Akayev refused to resign until April, creating a legally questionable period whereby two Heads of State existed (The parliament had allowed Bakiyev to take over without impeaching Akayev or initiating any legal process that formally ended his Presidency). The former leader's lawyers are still claiming that he legally remains President of Kyrgystan.
An upsurge in violence also occurred following the revolution. On 1 June hundreds of people forced their way into Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Court ejecting protesters who had held it for more than a month. The occupation was being held in support of candidates who lost during parliamentary elections in April. The sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
had prevented the court from operating. After an hour of clashes, unarmed police and soldiers reportedly managed to separate the two groups, whilst one witness said they had seen several injured people taken away in ambulances.
Kyrgyz legislator Jyrgalbek Surabaldiev was shot dead in Bishkek
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
, on 10 June, following an attack on another politician Bayaman Erkinbayev
Bayaman Erkinbayev
Bayaman Erkinbayev was a top Kyrgyzstani lawmaker and parliamentary deputy, who was the driving force behind the riots in southern Kyrgyzstan that led to the overthrow of President Askar Akayev on March 24, 2005. One of the richest businessman in the country, he funded the Central Asian state's...
in April. During the same day protesters, allegedly demonstrating against Erkinbayev, were fired on in the southern city of Osh
Osh
Osh is the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". The city is at least 3,000 years old, and has served as the administrative center of Osh Province since 1939...
. At least one person was killed, and five others were injured as a result of the violence.
Candidates
The Central Election Commission completed registering presidential candidates on 13 June. Elections had last been held on October 29, 2000, with the next previously scheduled for late 2005. The 2000 election was marred by allegations of fraud, heightened by the high percentage of the vote for President Akayev - 74%. His nearest rival was Omurbek TekebayevOmurbek 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....
who polled 14%. Former Vice-President and opposition leader Felix Kulov
Felix Kulov
Felix Sharshenbayevich Kulov served as Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan following the Tulip Revolution. He first served from 1 September 2005 until he resigned on 19 December 2006...
had initially decided to run in the 2005 poll, but later withdrew from the race. This followed an agreement with acting President Bakyiev, whereby Kulov would become Prime Minister should the interim leader win the election. Urmatbek Baryktabasov, a businessman from eastern Karakol
Karakol
Karakol , formerly Przhevalsk, is fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan, about from the Kyrgyzstan-China border and from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk Kul Province...
, was refused registration for the election, after authorities cited his alleged Kazakh
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
citizenship. More than 100 Kyrgyz protesters demanding his registration subsequently stormed Bishkek's main government building, occupying it for several hours.
Six candidates were registered: acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev; businessman Akbaraly Aitikeev
Akbaraly Aitikeev
Akbaraly Aitikeev was a candidate in Kyrgyzstan's 2005 presidential election. He combines his career as a businessman, with the chairmanship of the Party of Protection, which he founded in 1996. In the presidential election, he received less than 10% of the vote.-References:...
; ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir uulu
Tursunbai Bakir uulu
Tursunbai Bakir Uulu is a Kyrgyz politician, former ombudsman and presidential candidate. He is leader of the political party Erkin Kyrgyzstan or ErK. A teacher by training, a historian, and a doctor of philosophy he is married with four children.-Biography:He graduated at the Kyrgyz National...
; former Interior Minister
Interior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
Keneshbek Duishebaev; Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan head Jypar Jeksheev; and Non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
activist Toktaim Umetalieva. Former Jalalabad Province Governor Jusupbek Sharipov, a seventh candidate, withdrew from the race on 23 June. He said that he wished to support Bakiev-Kulov, and work towards national unity.
The candidates met each other in a series of televised head-to-head debates from 4 July, culminating in a gathering of all individuals on Friday 8 July.
Election
Over 80 international organisations requested accreditation for the election including: Organization for Security and Co-operation in EuropeOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
(369 observers), Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
Mission (261), National Democratic Institution (32), “Future without corruption” PU (24), Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO , is an intergovernmental mutual-security organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan...
, International Democratic Institution, embassies and other organisations. In total, 810 observers and 187 foreign correspondents intend to cover the ballot.
With Bakiev expected to easily win, the authorities feared a low turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
. However by 17:00 (Bishkek time) the Central Election Commission declared that around 53 percent of voters had participated. The law states that one vote over 50 percent is needed for the election to be deemed valid. The preliminary results of the ballot show that after 1967 polling stations out of 2181 (90.19%) returned results Bakiev has secured a landslide. The central election commission announced that 88.82% of voters supported the acting President with his nearest rival, Tursunbai Bakir uulu, obtaining just 3.73%. The new Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
therefore was elected without the need for a second round of voting.
The OSCE declared the process as "tangible progress toward meeting OSCE and other international commitments" in its internet press release the following day. However, election monitors observed a "small number of serious irregularities," particularly during vote counting. Kimmo Kiljunen, head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation, told a news conference in Bishkek on 11 July. Representatives of the CIS-EMO however stated "It is impossible to say that the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan were fair and met the international standards in full". The group had previously said that the disputed Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2005
Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2005
The 2005 Kyrgyz parliamentary elections were held 27 February 2005 with run-offs held on 13 March 2005. Over 400 candidates ran for the new 75-member unicameral legislative assembly. According to media reports, only six seats were won by the opposition, although most candidates were officially...
were "free and fair".
Maksim Maksimovich, the lawyer of former President Akayev, claimed he could not vote in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
because his name had not been included on a voter list. His daughter, Bermet Akaeva however voted without incident in Bishkek. She claimed to have voted for the candidate who would not lead the country into catastrophe, according to RIA-Novosti news agency
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
.
Bakiyev was sworn in to office on the 14 August, in Bishkek.
Quotations
- "The people demonstrated high civic activity and made their choice. And it is understandable. Kyrgyzstan's people are tired of poverty and unemployment, instability, and uncertainty that some [forces] try to benefit from," President-elect Kurmanbek Bakiev, 11 July