Kyrgyzstan is in the midst of a political crisis. Following parliamentary elections on Oct. 4 marred by vote buying and intimidation by pro-establishment political parties, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov was forced to resign, while his opponent from the Ata-Jurt (Fatherland) party, Sadyr Japarov—who was sprung from prison by his supporters days after the elections—declared himself the acting head of state. The weeks following the elections have plunged the country into cycles of violent protest.
While there’s hope that political life will return to normal after a rerun of the parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec. 20, many in the country are concerned that the most powerful political parties are affiliated with individuals with criminal and corrupt backgrounds. The criminal underworld has always played a role in supporting both government and opposition forces in Kyrgyzstan. Political leaders turn to the help of criminal actors to prevail in a competitive political landscape, and individuals with corrupt and criminal backgrounds often try to enter the formal political process to shield themselves from prosecution.
