The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) regards the October 10, 2010 elections to the Jogorku Kenesh as a significant step forward in the development of democracy in the Kyrgyz Republic. The October 10 vote represents the most open, well-administered and competitive election process seen in the country to date, with 29 parties competing for 120 seats as part of a new parliamentary system of government.

The election was conducted amidst heavy security in some locations, though the day proceeded without incident. The vote was conducted just over six months after the ousting of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and nearly four months since ethnic clashes in the south of the country that exposed deep divisions. The heavily contested vote saw but five of the 29 parties surmount dual threshold barriers, with a sixth challenging the result. Coalition building stands as the next great task, and given the political and regional distinctions among the prevailing parties this will be a process that bears watching in the coming days.

IFES, which trained pollworkers in over 2300 precincts, looks forward to continuing its work with the Central Election Commission and other key stakeholders to address the election law, voter registration, voter education and other key issues ahead of the planned 2011 presidential election.