Two recent rounds of parliamentary voting in the Kyrgyz Republic went well, Dr. Bakyt Abdrisaev said on March 16, and now the country must try to solve lingering electoral problems before this October’s presidential elections.

Abdrisaev, the Kyrgyz Ambassador to the United States, spoke about the Feb. 27 first-round parliamentary elections and the March 13 run-offs during his appearance at the W.P. Carey Forum.

Abdrisaev argued that no major infractions that could have influenced the conduct and results of the election took place.

“Now it is necessary to underline that the elections went very well,” he said. “It is now time for us to evaluate the positive sides, as well as the drawbacks and problems which appeared, and prepare for the presidential election in October.”

Abdrisaev downplayed speculation that President Askar Akayev would run for another term. He said he could not predict which candidates would appear on the October presidential ballot. But he said it was possible that Roza Otunbaeva, an opposition leader who was disqualified from the parliamentary balloting, might be able to run for president, provided she acts in a “pragmatic” way.

Akayev has ruled the republic since 1990. His son, Aider Akayev, won a seat in parliament in the Feb. 27 voting. The president’s daughter, Bermet Akayeva, won in second-round runoff voting on March 13.

Pro-government candidates dominated the parliamentary elections, leaving the opposition with only six seats in the 75-member parliament.

Opposition figures charge that Akayev plans to use his increased strength in parliament to pass a constitutional amendment allowing him to run for another term. Akayev has repeatedly insisted that he will not run again.

Another possibility raised by opponents is that a constitutional amendment could shift key presidential powers to parliament, allowing the Akayev family to maintain power.

Abdrisaev cast doubt on both those scenarios at the forum, citing Akayev’s vows not to run again. “The president has said he is not eager to change the constitution or extend his term,” he said.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that despite some positive aspects, the Feb. 27 voting fell short of international standards. The OSCE cited vote-buying, de-registration of candidates, interference with media coverage, and public lack of confidence in judicial and electoral institutions.

The OSCE said that the second round of voting also fell short of international standards in key areas such as lack of voter access to diverse sources of information, media bias, continued de-registration of candidates on minor grounds, and inaccurate voter lists. However, the OSCE said that the right to free assembly was more fully respected in the period leading up to the second round of voting.

Since Sunday’s voting, opposition forces have held protests in the western and southern parts of the country, decrying electoral fraud and calling for Akayev to resign. Akayev this week warned opposition forces against bringing the country to the brink of “civil war,” according to the Associated Press.

“We have a mess now, but it’s a democratic mess,” Abdrisaev said Wednesday. He called on both sides to act in a civilized, respectful manner to reduce tensions. “If we will achieve that from both sides, we will be more civilized and closer to the OSCE (standards),” he said.

Abdrisaev noted that other election observers, including those from the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said the elections were conducted fairly.

Part of the reason the elections were so bitterly contested, Abdrisaev said, is that the country recently cut the parliament’s size from 105 seats to 75, forcing many members into difficult races to remain in office.

Abdrisaev called on opposition forces to work constructively for the country’s betterment rather than standing “on the sideline criticizing.” To only criticize, he said, is a bad strategy that will only leave those parties behind.

Otunbaeva, a former ambassador to the United States who was disqualified from running in Bermet Akayeva’s district because she had not resided in the Kyrgyz Republic for the past five years, could appear on this fall’s presidential ballot, Abdrisaev said. But he said she must be very pragmatic and avoid the type of “very emotional” actions he said she had taken in recent weeks.

Abdrisaev warned that “extreme measures” taken by the opposition could lead to troubles for the country. In an extreme case, he said, the country could see the type of violence seen in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Abdrisaev noted that the country faces possible terrorist threats from the south. It is not clear how active the radical Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir is, the ambassador said, but the group is a concern.

One positive development from the elections, Abdrisaev said, was that the communist party, which “was resisting all reforms,” will have only two seats in parliament.

Abdrisaev took a number of questions from the audience regarding the elections.

He said Kyrgyz voters are very pragmatic, voting “for people who take care of them and improve their lives.”

He also said that the country is becoming increasingly democratic, as evidenced by parliament’s increasing role as an independent body and greater devolution of power to the local level. But he added that “without good, strong parties, it is impossible to sustain the process of democratization.” He said that international aid designed to promote democracy should focus not only on opposition groups, but across the entire political spectrum.

The election of many businessmen in the parliament indicates that the country’s economic reforms have been successful, generating wealth, but also highlights the country’s lack of campaign finance laws, Abdrisaev said.

Abdrisaev said the Kyrgyz Republic would take steps to improve the electoral process in order to more closely approach OSCE standards by the October elections.

Forum Report By Brian Carlson