Commentary on Kyrgyzstan electoral fiasco
MECACS member Dr Mateo Fumagalli has recently provided a commentary on Kyrgyzstan which has been published in the East Asia Forum. In this commentary, entitled ‘Kyrgyz electoral fiasco involves familiar faces’, he argues that the drivers of unrest are local, specifically those elites linked to the regime overthrow in 2010 who have been able to (re-) capture the state through exploiting real and widespread social and political grievances. The commentary discusses the ousting of former President Sooronbai Jeenbekov after the faction led by Sadyr Japarov was able to assert control following a brief power vacuum which saw multiple factions articulating competing claims for political power. According to the commentary, this event emphasises how the ousting of a sitting president through elite-led protests has become the principal form of leadership change in Kyrgyzstan.