Kyrygzstan - December 2023

President Sadyr Japarov oversaw the first sitting of the People’s Kurultai on 15 December, a new and permanent branch of government made up of 700 members appointed via a largely opaque process. The new body is parallel to the Kyrgyz parliament and can initiate legislation and make recommendations to the president about dismissing cabinet members. However, members reportedly dedicated most of the two-day meeting to speeches praising President Japarov. The Kurultai has been criticized by observers and activists as diluting the power of parliament and further cementing Japarov’s control over political decision-making, and was approved in a 2021 constitutional referendum criticized by independent observers as both vague and rife with election-day irregularities.

Sources: Eurasianet (1), Kloop (1), Eurasianet (2), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kloop (2)