- International election observers in Kyrgyzstan to hold press conference on Monday

BISHKEK, 9 October 2010 - The international observers monitoring the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan will present their preliminary post-election statement at a news conference on Monday, 11 October, in Bishkek.

The international observation is a common endeavour involving the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), and the European Parliament (EP).

The preliminary statement will be delivered by Morten Hoglund, appointed as Special Coordinator to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission and Head of the OSCE PA delegation, followed by Katarina Neved’alova, Head of the EP delegation, and Corien Jonker, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission.

This joint undertaking comprises a total of 266 observers from 36 countries, including 40 long-term and 206 short-term observers deployed by the OSCE/ODIHR, as well as nine parliamentarians and staff from the OSCE PA, and 11 from the European Parliament.

Journalists are invited to attend the news conference on Monday, 11 October, at 15:00 in the Hyatt Hotel in Bishkek.

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- Kyrgyzstan’s vibrant and pluralistic parliamentary elections constitute further consolidation of democracy

BISHKEK, 11 October 2010 - Marked by political pluralism and a vibrant campaign, yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan constituted a further consolidation of the democratic process and brought the country closer to meeting its international commitments on democratic elections, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement issued today. They stressed, however, that there remains an urgent need for a profound reform of the electoral legislation.

"I was impressed by the political pluralism, the civic responsibility and the spirit of the people of this country. I have observed many elections in Central Asia over the years but this is the first election where I could not predict the outcome. This election reflected the will of the people of the Kyrgyz Republic," said Morten Høglund, appointed as Special Coordinator to lead the short-term OSCE observer mission and Head of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

"The people of Kyrgyzstan have expressed their determination to turn a page in their history and to proceed towards a stable and effective democracy. The international community will take full account of this and expects the political parties to respect the results and form a stable government which can deliver a better future for Kyrgyzstan," said Katarína Neved’alová, Head of the delegation of the European Parliament.

"I was very glad to see that these elections took place in a peaceful atmosphere. The last few weeks show that Kyrgyzstan can hold elections marked by pluralism, an independent election administration and respect for fundamental freedoms. Now the challenge is to stay on course and tackle the remaining shortcomings," said Corien Jonker, Head of the long-term election observation mission deployed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The observers noted that the inclusive registration process resulted in a pluralistic field of political parties which provided voters with a genuine choice. The campaign was highly competitive and took place in a peaceful atmosphere despite underlying tensions following the June violence. Political parties were generally able to campaign freely without major impediments or incidents. Overall, fundamental freedoms were respected. The central election commission operated independently and enjoyed the confidence of electoral stakeholders.

On election day, voting proceeded in a calm, orderly and transparent manner, although the presence of unauthorized persons in polling stations remains a concern. In some cases these persons interfered in the process. The counting was assessed much less positively, with observers noting procedural violations and problems with completing protocols. In a positive move, the central election commission published results broken down by polling stations throughout election night.

The state media met their obligation to provide free airtime and print space to all contestants. Generally, the media covered the campaign only through the broadcasting of paid advertisements. This allowed voters to form opinions on political alternatives, but made it difficult for them to make a fully informed choice due to the lack of impartial and analytical information.

The observers noted that the legal framework for elections is not yet consistent with the constitution and is in urgent need of comprehensive reform. The quality and accuracy of voter lists remained a serious concern. This could affect the composition of the new parliament as parties must surpass thresholds calculated on the basis of the number of registered voters. In addition, deficiencies in the residency registration system resulted in the disenfranchisement of thousands of internal migrants and people displaced by the June violence.

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- OSCE Chairperson welcomes peaceful conduct of Kyrgyzstan elections, reiterates support to stabilization efforts

ASTANA, 11 October 2010 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Secretary of State and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Kanat Saudabayev praised today the conduct of the 10 October parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan and restated continued support to political stabilization and revival of the country.

"Kazakhstan as the OSCE Chairmanship welcomes the peaceful conduct of the parliamentary elections in the Kyrgyz Republic, and urges all parties to work toward long-term political stability and public consent in the country," he said.

Saudabayev noted that the situation in Kyrgyzstan has been in the centre of attention of the OSCE and the international community: "Thanks to the OSCE mediation and as a result of joint efforts of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the U.S. President Barack Obama, and Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev, it became possible to prevent further escalation of political tensions and a civil confrontation."

He added that "timely and consolidated efforts of the OSCE, the UN and the EU have contributed significantly to the normalization of the situation", and called it a "spectacular example of the effective co-operation between the world community structures during the hardest political crisis in Kyrgyzstan".

Saudabayev praised "the wisdom and the courage the people of Kyrgyzstan demonstrated in the parliamentary elections", and stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Kyrgyz Republic as "a basis for further constructive development of the country".

"We respect the choice of the people of Kyrgyzstan, and will consistently support the efforts aimed at normalizing the political life, sustaining stability, resolving pressing social problems as well as the economic and democratic revival of the country," said Saudabayev.

The OSCE has provided substantial assistance to the country and stands ready to assist the government and people of Kyrgyzstan in all aspects, including through the deployment of a Police Advisory Group.

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