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1 1 (August 03, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdbdz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: k \&um, h 1,k k Kyrgyz Republic The KyrgyzRepublic (commonly known as Kyrgyzstan) is a mountainous, landlocked country that borders China and maintains close ties with Russia. Formerly a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstanbecame independentin 1991. As a parliamentary republic thatholds contested elections, Kyrgyzstan has longbeen considered the most democratic country in Central Asia, with a vibrant civil society and a higher degree of press freedomthan found elsewherein the region. Corruption is pervasive, however, andpoliticalinstitutions remain weak. In recent years, internationalobservers have voiced concerns about democratic backsliding in Kyrgyzs tan. Some Members of Congress have also expressed concerns about government pres sure on independent media outlets, including the congressionally-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Because Kyrgyzstan is an impoverished country that relies heavily on foreign remittances, the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVJD-19) pandemic is causing significant economic strain. Government: Kyrgyzs tan has twice experienced revolutions that ousted authoritarian-leaning presidents, first in 2005 and again in 2010. A new constitution adopted in 2010 converted the country to a semi-parliamentary systemand imposed a one-termlimit on presidents, who ane elected directly via universal suffrage and serve for six years. The prime minister, nominated by the parliamentary majority and appointed by the president, shares executive power. Kyrgyzs tan's unicameral parliament, the Jogorku Ken esh (Supreme Council), has 120 members; deputies are elected to five-year terms in a closed-list proportional electoral system Political landscape: In recent years, the ruling Social Democratic Party ofKyrgyzstan (SDPK)has moved to consolidate its position, using state resources to pressure political opponents and civil society. Although Kyrgyzstan enjoys a greater degree ofpolitical pluralis mthan its Central Asian neighbors, in the assessment of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, political parties are characterized by the personalities leading them, rather than by their platforms, which overlap significantly. Governing coalitions are frequently unstable, and the prime ministerhas beenreplaced 12times since the 2010 revolution. Kyrgyzstan's political landscape is shifting duein part to an ongoing feudbetween President SooronbaiJeenbekov (in office since 2017) and his predecessor and former patron, Almazbek Atambayev (in office 2011-2017), which has led to a split in the SDPK. In June 2020, Atambayevwas sentenced to l lyears and 2 months in pris on on corruption-related charges. He also faces murder charges stemming froman August 2019 law enforcement raid on his compound that left one member of the security services dead. Figure I. Map of the Kyrgyz Republic Source: Graphic created by CRS 2020 Parliamentary Elections: Thenext parliamentary elections are s chedu led for October 4,2020, but they may be deferred because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two major parliamentary factions have fractured in tern ally and there are no clear front -runners in the 2020 elections; it is possible that new groupings will enter the JogorkuKenesh. Human Rights: According to the U.S. State Department, major human rights concerns in Kyrgyzs tan include torture and arbitrary detention, inadequatejudicial independence, severe restrictions on freedomof express ion and freedomof the press, and corruption. In 2015, the State Department recognized imprisoned activist Azimjon Askarovwith its Human Rights Defender Award, leading to significant friction in the U.S. -Kyrgyz bilateral relationship. Askarov died in prison on July 24,2020, possibly of COVID-1 9. In June 2020, Kyrgyzstan's parliament passed a law that would enable authorities to censor websites containing information they determed to be untruthful and require internet service providers to turnuser data over to government agencies on request. After the bill sparked protes ts and drew criticli from international ob serveis, the president returned it to the legislature for revis ion. Draft bills that would impose financial reporting requirements on nongovernmental organizations andresirict workers' right to organize have also drawn international criticismn Terrorism: Although terrorist attacks within Kyrgyzstan are rare, about 800 Kyrgyz nationals travelled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamnic State or other terrorist groups; more than 200 are estimated to have died over the course of the Syrian conflict. Gobvernment plans to repatriate Kyrgyz citizens,primarily womnen and children, were disruptedby unrest in Iraq and Turkey's October2019 mnilitary incursion into northern Syria. Some 300 Kyrgyznationals have returned to the country, and about 50 have been imprisoned. Foreign fighters fromCentral Asia remain an international A .2 '2 Updated August 3,2020

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