On Jan. 10, Kyrgyzstan held presidential elections, a referendum on the form of government run parallel. The majority of those who participated decided to support the presidential form of government. This caused a lot of controversy in the society, mainly in social networks. It is worth noting that according to preliminary data, the presidential form of government was supported by more than 80% of voters.
Many experts and political scientists have already expressed their opinions about the referendum. For example, Secretary General of the Anti-Corruption Council Nuripa Mukanova said real and strong reforms can be implemented only under a strong leader.
"The referendum passed off well. The law requires a turnout of 30% to consider a referendum success. 80% voted for a presidential form of government. I think the people's choice should be respected. Why did the people vote this way? I want to draw attention to debate and disputes. It seems to me that even though there was little time for campaign, groups were able to prove the point to the people. These were young guys who spring from the people. They showed all the advantages of the presidential form of government at the moment. Practice shows that only a strong leader can bring about quick reforms," Mukanova said.
She also noted the parliamentary form of government that existed in Kyrgyzstan was a bluff.
"People were witnessing that the party system was a bluff. There was no party system, there was a party leader. Therefore, given the international experience, especially we heard a lot about the experience of Singapore and Georgia, people came to this choice. Kyrgyzstan was also needing such a personality. For the last 10 years the country had been living in a system of irresponsibility. One of the most important reasons for this choice is the lack of responsibility. After all, de jure we were living in a parliamentary republic, but de facto we were not,” the expert.
In addition, during the last elections and referendum there were far fewer violations compared to the elections held in October last year. This was pointed out by international and local experts. The relevant work is being done now on those violations which were committed. Experts note no administrative resources were involved, and they link the low turnout with the cancellation of Form-2 (the right to change electoral address), which, incidentally, caused many people's indignation earlier.
"I would like to focus attention on the fact that no administrative and financial resources were used massively for the first time. Everything was different in October when mass bribes, deliveries of voters, violations of human rights and freedoms, violations of electoral rights were recorded. Everyone knows how it ended. This time there were only 50 complaints and they are being worked on now. In addition, for the first time there was no tribalism at the presidential elections. I think this is a phenomenon of Sadyr Zhaparov (Kyrgyzstan’s president-elect), when all regions were united by one figure. People see themselves in Zhaparov. He has a hard fate, who has gone through brass pipes, suffered a lot of hardships and experienced bitter losses. The people see themselves in this image," PhD in law Nurlan Sheripov said.
As for expectations, the lawyer stressed Zhaparov now has a great responsibility, but there is also the trust of the people, whom he will not want to disappoint.
"The people expect all problems to be solved. Zhaparov has made it clear that he takes 100% responsibility and will try to fulfill all his promises. Of course, he has a huge credibility now. I think Zhaparov will go for many reforms and do everything for the development of Kyrgyzstan. This hope is fed by all the Kyrgyz people and it seems to me that he will try to live up to these hopes," Sheripov concluded.
Lawyer Sulaiman Usenov expressed a similar point of view. He believes the parliament has exhausted its credibility. During the years of the parliamentary republic no intelligible results were visible, and the parties worked to enrich their top officials. People are simply fed up with this state of affairs.
"Under the parliamentary form we saw that if anything happened, parliament would pass the buck to somebody or prime minister, and it was not responsible for its government. We did not see and did not even feel that the deputies could be at least morally responsible. Parliament discredited itself in terms of political parties. They completely discredited parliamentarism, so people voted for a presidential form of government. People chose the president because this shows responsibility", Usenov explained.
Now, there will always be someone to hold accountable for mistakes, failures, and broken promises. The cycle of constantly blaming parties for each other will disappear. One leader can solve many problems and unite the people. Do not forget the fact that the whole Kyrgyzstan united around Sadyr Zhaparov, there was no division into North and South, this shows that people trust him.
Kabar News Agency
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