Bishkek: Kyrgyzstan’s newly elected parliament convened on Wednesday for the first time since a snap election last month cemented the grip of President Sadyr Zhaparov, who has sought to suppress dissent in what was once Central Asia’s most democratic country.
Results announced last week showed that no opposition candidate won a seat in the Nov. 30 vote, in which hundreds of candidates vied for the 90 seats in the one-chamber parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh.
A total of 87 lawmakers were chosen in a new electoral system in which 30 constituencies elect three lawmakers each. In one constituency, results were nullified because of violations, and a new election will be held for the three remaining seats.
The election was held a year earlier than scheduled. Officials had asserted that the election otherwise would fall too close to the 2027 presidential one. Voter turnout was low, at 36.9%, according to the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission.