Kyrgyzstan Parliament Votes to Dissolve Itself, Sets Early Elections for November
The parliament of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to dissolve itself and hold early legislative elections, marking a historic first in the Central Asian republic’s recent history.
According to the state news agency Kabar, 84 of the 90 members of parliament supported the motion to dissolve the legislature, with new elections scheduled for November 30.
“This is the first time in Kyrgyzstan’s recent history that MPs have taken the decision to dissolve the existing parliament ahead of schedule,” Kabar reported.
Lawmakers justified the move by noting that the previously scheduled election date of November 2026 would have fallen just six weeks before the next presidential election, creating additional budgetary pressures and logistical challenges for the electoral commission.
Kyrgyzstan, a mountainous nation of around seven million people, has experienced repeated political upheavals since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The current parliament was elected in 2021, following a political crisis and violent clashes that forced the resignation of then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
The strongest faction in the outgoing parliament is the national conservative Ata-Shurt party, which holds 15 seats.
Meanwhile, political analysts have accused the current president, Sadyr Japarov, of steering the country toward an increasingly authoritarian path, raising concerns about democratic freedoms ahead of the upcoming elections.