Reports on the Kyrgyz election are becoming available. I want to begin though, with some additional observations from Alan Cordova.
Basically, although the election was relatively clean from a technical standpoint, it was not a great election from the point of view of the political philosophy underpinning the purpose of elections. I tend to view elections from the point of view of the voter, in which the act of voting is like buying something – it is a strategic decision designed to bring benefit to one’s life. The question a voter should ask is ‘which candidate will bring me the most benefit?’ (how ‘benefit’ is defined is entirely subjective and is the reason modern democracies are so pluralistic)
In most of the former Soviet Union, it tends to make the most sense to flip the equation on its head. Where a degree of genuine competition between different parties and personalities is allowed (as was the case in Russia from 1993-1999), explaining outcomes is much easier if one views parties as mobilizing resources to buy votes (not literally in many cases, just using the same analogy). It seems to me this certainly was the case in Kyrgyzstan’s parliamentary elections earlier this year. And even though this election was much cleaner than the last, it is not surprising that the political culture hasn’t changed to the point that electoral choices are made in a way most western voters would understand.
It’s an interesting situation and it is worth considering what if anything for Kyrgyzstan (or other similar electorates) this type of electoral decision-making portends. Just shooting from the hip, but there seems to be something of a vicious circle in which this type of political culture makes it too tempting (almost to the point of encouraging) for the state to manage democracy.
So, here’s to hoping that Bakiyev sticks to his guns and is able to eliminate certain presidential powers and encourage the development of a strong and independent media.
Well, with that out of the way, here are some of the preliminary reports via David Mikosz’s mailing list:
Everyone appears to be on the same page. This election was much-improved but there is still room for additional improvements.
UPDATE: RFE/RL on the Bakiyev-Kulov alliance and Bakiyev’s policy priorities
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2974 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan is the Founding Editor and Publisher of Registan.net, which he launched in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with private and government clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural and political factors shape risks and opportunities and how organizations can adjust their strategic and operational plans to account for these variables. Nathan is currently seeking research, analysis, and consulting opportunities. He can be contacted via Twitter or email.
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