Kyrgyzstan's Democratic Experiment

On June 27, 2010 Kyrgyzstan adopted a new constitution via nationwide referendum. Introducing a new or revised governing charter was nothing new for the Central Asian republic—they have seen many since their independence in 1991. This new constitution, however, ushered in a new era for the country as it established a parliamentary system that would allow power to be decentralized and shared among different political parties.

On October 10, 2010, the citizens of Kyrgyzstan voted via proportional representation (party list) to elect deputies to this new parliamentary structure. In this podcast, Anthony Bowyer, IFES program manager for the Caucasus and Central Asia, gives us an update on the process of government formation in Kyrgyzstan and talks to us about the challenges the country faces as it puts parliamentary democracy into practice.

For more IFES Podcasts visit: http://www.ifes.org/podcast