29 November 2000
POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEPUTIES ON DANGER TO DEMOCRACY IN KYRGYZSTAN.
Leaders of the five political parties and eight deputies of parliament released in Bishkek on 29 November a statement saying that the last presidential elections in the country were a setback to the democratization process in Kyrgyzstan, deteriorating the existed low-level democracy in the country.
They mentioned the following six irregularities during the poll and the election campaign: 1. Incumbent President Askar Akayev was elected for the third term, which is forbidden by the current constitution. 2. The Language Commission, which disqualified several candidates, was an anti-constitutional body. 3. Results of the poll were falsified. 4. The authorities as well as the governmental media campaigned for the incumbent president and free media was persecuted during the campaign. 5. Local authorities interfered in the activities of the local election commissions and forced people to vote for the incumbent. 6. President Akayev and his wife made lot of presents to voters on the eve of the poll.
Leaders of the Agrarian-Labor, Ata-Meken, Communist, Kairan-El and Republican parties signed the statement. The presidential poll was held on 29 October and it was announced next day that Akayev collected 74 percent of votes in it.
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES AGAINST INCREASE OF ELECTRICITY TARIFFS.
Four committees of the parliamentary People's Assembly and five committees of the other house, the Legislative Assembly, have discussed a proposal of the government to increase tariffs for electricity and heating from 1 January 2001, and rejected it. The government wants to increase the tariffs several times. Tariffs for heating were already increased by 30 to 100 percent on 1 November. Tariffs for electricity were increased last May but President Askar Akayev vetoed it after several public protests.
PRESIDENT AKAYEV TO THE CIS SUMMIT IN MINSK.
According to the presidential press service, the Kyrgyz governmental delegation to the CIS summit in Minsk would be led by President Askar Akayev. The meeting of the CIS council of prime ministers and council of foreign ministers would be held on 30 November and the presidents would meet on 1 December. Among the items, to be discussed, are financing of the CIS counter-terrorism center, licensing of an agreement on creation of a free-trade zone, financing of a unified air defense system and other items..
ECONOMIC RESULTS OF THE NINE MONTHS.
Prime Minister Amangeldi MurAliyev held a government meeting in Bishkek on 29 November. Finance Minister Sultan Mederov announced the economic results of the first 9 months of the year. Increase of the gross domestic product was 4.3 percent in January-September against the 4.6 percent increase in the same period of last year. Inflation was 7.3 percent this year and the foreign trade turnover was $774.2 million. Export was $383.2 million, which is more than 10 percent during the same 9 months of 1999, and imports were $391.1 million or less 6 percent less than last year. Prices for bread increased by 7.6 percent, prices for milk increased by 5 percent, prices for commodities increased by 6 percent and prices for services by 12.5 percent. Crops on 81,000 hectares and sugar beets on 10,000 hectares were damaged by drought and early snow falls.
GIANT ENTERPRISES WOULD BE PRIVATIZED IN 2001-2003.
It was announced at the government meeting on 29 November that about 130 big enterprises of the country would be privatized in 2001-2003. Among them are the giants Kyrgyztelecom, Kyrgyzenergo, Kyrgyz Air Service, Kyrgyzgas, Kyrgyzneftegas, the Uchkun publishing house, the Kadamjai antimony complex and others. Also, the program of complex development of the country in 2001-2010 would be discussed at a special seminar on 15 December.
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS A RULING ON THE KOLBAEV'S CASE.
The Board of the Supreme Court upheld in the evening of 28 December a ruling on the assassination of Yusup Kolbaev. Kolbaev, head the Lukoil-Kyrgyzstan Company, was shot to dead in front of his house on 21 March 1997.
The Military Court convicted Taalai Duishembiev, Vyacheslav Abdrashitov (Kachan) and Valeri Kurkin of the assassination on 24 January. Former colonel of police Duishembiev was named as an organizer of the action. He had been director of the anti-criminal center at the National Academy of Sciences before the arrest in 1997.
JOURNALIST OF AN OPPOSITION PAPER IS BEATEN.
According to the Moscow based Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations, staff correspondent of the Kyrgyz opposition Res Publica weekly Tatyana Taianova was beaten in front of the editorial office late in the evening of 28 November. She was the last person leaving the office at about ten o'clock and was attacked by several people. One of them was detained by officers of the local office of the Interior Ministry.
MEDIA SEMINAR IN OSH.
A two-day seminar "The Media and the Judiciary" began in the Osh City on 28 November. It is organized by the Osh Media Resource Center with help from the Swiss CIMERA Network and the Internews Network-Kyrgyzstan. Local journalists and officials as well as foreign experts are participating. Some concrete legal cases with involvement of journalists, media legislature and professional ethics are being discussed.
MIGRATION OFFICE OPENED IN NARYN.
The State Agency on Demography and Migration has opened its office in the town of Naryn, center of the Naryn Province. It is the first regional office of the agency, which should monitor the local migration and demography processes. Kyias Sydykov appointed its chief.