Field Reports

The flaws in the referendum conducted in Kyrgyzstan are now beginning to appear, including the use of civil servants and students to promote the government and falsify the results. This has sparked protests from local opposition as well as the NDI, which involved itself in the controversy.

In the poorest of the former Soviet Republics, the income from export of labor is much higher than that from major industries - cotton farming, production of aluminum and hydropower. The amount of foreign currency Tajik seasonal workers bring home every year to support their families in fact exceeds Tajikistan\'s annual State budget.

During the years of independence of post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, the previously unknown problem of trafficking in human beings emerged, and it is year after year becoming more serious. Due to current economic and social hardships, its geographical location and other conducive factors, Kyrgyzstan has become an increasingly attractive country for traffickers.

Relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan which showed some signs improvement in recent months have turned sour again. On December 28, Uzbek authorities unilaterally closed its border with Kazakhstan without providing plausible reasons. Kazakh officials are extremely cautious not to letting details of talks with their Uzbek counterparts spill to the press.

A referendum on constitutional reform is taking place in Kyrgyzstan on February 2, which is also a vote of confidence for President Akaev. The level to which the people is aware of it is questionable, and some think the referendum will justify the President\'s extension of his stay in power.