Elections & Democracy Watch 02-15-05

Kazakhstan

• Kazakhstan has told the OSCE that Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan may be legalized if its charter is changed

Kyrgyzstan

• The Kyrgyz Ambassador to the US has a letter in today’s WaPo (excerpts and commentary in extended)
• Human Rights Watch has a letter to President Akayev regarding the election and an appendix with quotations from government officials

Joining the OTB Traffic Jam

Ambassador Abdrisayev’s letter:

First, the five Central Asian republics, formerly part of the Soviet Union but independent since 1991, deserve to be treated as distinct entities. Judging all on the basis of the behavior of and events in one does them and American readers a disservice.

That certainly bears repeating.

Recent protests by the opposition, led by former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva, are a sign of a healthy democratic process.

Letting her run would be a stronger one, no?

The elected parliament, not the president, has ruled against her application for candidacy, which she admits was late. Other former diplomats also wished to run for office, and their petitions were denied as well in conformity with the existing legislation. That legislation must be changed by the parliament, and that cannot be done before this month’s elections. Planning on all sides might have avoided the problem, but learning a new political process takes time.

This “Oh, if only the President could do something about this he would!” argument is kind of hard to swallow. I’m a big fan of rule of law, so I’m not enthusiastic about adding opposition candidates who clearly do not fit the law’s candidacy requirements. But, this isn’t part a learning process for everyone participating in Kyrgyz politics so much as it is a bitter lesson for the opposition and a sign that Kyrgyzstan continues to slouch towards the type of rule found in neighboring states.

Kyrgyzstan is struggling to ensure that democratic processes maintain a strong foothold while attempting to build, with both U.S. and Russian cooperation, a viable economy that will support a democratic populace in a threatened region. Presenting our options only in Cold War terms misleads The Post’s readers.

I’d buy that if it weren’t for all the uncharacteristic paranoia and anti-Western rhetoric coming out of Bishkek. It would be easier to accept that Kyrgyzstan wants a more or less equal relationship with both the US and Russia (which is what the Ambassador appears to be suggesting) were it not for the admission in the very same letter and by officials back in Kyrgyzstan that defense decisions are vetted by Beijing and Moscow. Everything old is new again…