12 November 1999
NEXT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ON 20 FEBRUARY 2000.
Presidential spokesman Kanybek ImanAliyev announced in Bishkek on 12 November that the next parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan would be held on 20 February 2000. According to him, President Askar Akayev has signed a special decree on this issue. But the decree will be put into effect after its release to local media on 19 November only.
There are the two houses in the Kyrgyz parliament - the People's Assembly (upper house) and the Legislative Assembly (lower house). 45 deputies will be elected to the upper house. 15 out of 60 members of the Legislative Assembly will be elected according to party lists.
BUDGET DRAFT FOR NEXT YEAR DISCUSSED.
A session of the parliamentary People's Assembly continued on November 12 to discuss the law draft on the state budget for the year 2000, prepared by the government. Finance Minister Sultan Mederov reported on this to the session on 11 November and the following day he answered deputies' questions. Members of parliament demanded on November 12 to increase the current minimal salary rate in the country from 100 soms per month (about $2.2) to 150 soms next year. Also, they demanded to increase wages for teachers and doctors. Mederov answered that there is no possibility to do this.
The minister said that the government expects 10,079-million-som (about $225 million) in revenues and 10,022 million soms of expenditures next year. According to the first version of the draft, announced by the government early in September, state revenues should have been 9,897,469,000 soms and expenditures were expected to have been 9,716,900,000 in the year 2000. The government has amended the draft recently due to the decision by President Askar Akayev to form a new province in the country.
SUPREME COURT JUDGES TO BE FIRED.
The parliamentary press service announced in Bishkek on November 12 that President Askar Akayev has asked the parliamentary People's Assembly to fire the four judges of the Supreme Court. They are supreme judges Duyunova, Ibragimova, Joroev and Yulina. To fire supreme court judges, it needs the approval by the two thirds of members of the Assembly. According to the local press, the four judges have criticized the Chairman of the Supreme Court Akylbek Tilebaliev.
SECURITY MEETING IN BISHKEK.
According to the Foreign Ministry, a meeting on security issues in the CIS and in Central Asia especially was held in Bishkek on 12 November. Deputy foreign ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and representatives of some other CIS countries took part in it. The participants have agreed to join their efforts in fighting international terrorism.
A similar meeting was held in Bishkek on 5 November and representatives of security councils of the same countries took part in it. It was agreed at the meeting to set up a committee of secretaries of security councils.
PRESIDENT AWARDS POLITICIANS.
The presidential press service announced in Bishkek on 11 November that President Askar Akayev signed special decrees on awarding several politicians with state awards. MP Jamin AkimAliyev is decorated with the Third Class of the Manas Order. The two speakers of parliementary houses (Abdygany Erkebaev and Usup Mukambaev) as well as other members of parliament Jamgyrbek Bokoshev, Askar Ermatov, Bahtiyarjan Fattahov and Jypar Jeksheev are decorated with the Glory Order. Also, according to a presidential decree, the Governor of the newly formed Batken province Mamat Aiabalaev has become a honoured industrial worker.
FOREIGN DEBT ABOUT $1,370 MILLION.
The parliamentary People's Assembly discussed on 10 November the use of foreign loans by the government. Chairman of the State Committee on Foreign Investments Urkalyi Isaev told the session that the Kyrgyz government had signed by 1 November 1999 agreements with international finance organizations and foreign countries on 1,725,000-dollar loans. $1,140,700 of it has already been received. In addition to it, the Kyrgyz National Bank has received 227-million-dollar loans from the International Monetary Fund. So, the foreign debt of the country is now $1,367,700.
OSCE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL.
The head of the OSCE office in Kyrgyzstan Erzy Wenzlaw announced in Bishkek on 10 November that the Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Knut Vollebaek would hold a special meeting with presidents of the 5 Central Asian states during the OSCE summit in Istanbul on 18-19 November. The current situation in Central Asia, democratic reforms and security issues will be discussed. President Askar Akayev will head the Kyrgyz delegation to the summit. According to his press service, he will offer to open a second office of the OSCE in southern Kyrgyzstan.
CHINESE MILITARY DELEGATION IN KYRGYZSTAN.
A Chinese military delegation, led by Colonel Ti Chi Min, arrived in Bishkek on 10 November. According to the Defense Ministry, Minister Esen Topoev was to receive them on 11 Nomorrow. Cooperation between the two states in security and military sectors were to be discussed. Also, the Chinese delegation will present the Kyrgyz side 2-million-yuan technical help for defense and border guard services.
KYRGYZ-IRANIAN MEETING.
According to the governmental press service, the third meeting of the Kyrgyz-Iranian commission on economics and trade will be held in Bishkek on 15-17 November. The Iranian delegation, led by Minister of Communications Dr. Aref, will also visit the Osh and Jalal-Abad provinces. The meeting will be co-chaired by the Minister of Transport and Communications Jantoro Satybaldiev.
ONLY FIVE PERCENT FROM A WORLD BANK LOAN USED.
Representative of the World Bank in Kyrgyzstan Muhinder Murahar announced in Bishkek on 10 Novembert that only $716,000 of the 14-million-dollar loan given Kyrgyzstan from the WB in 1995 has been used so far. According to him, the main obstacle to using it is the unstable situation with commercial banks in Kyrgyzstan. A special mission of the World Bank will consider the situation soon.
PARTY APPEALS TO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT.
An official from the Ar-Namys party told an RFE/RL correspondent in Bishkek on 10 November that the party had appealed to the Constitutional Court asking to rule on contradictions between the Constitution and the Electoral Code. According to the code adopted last year, only parties that registered earlier than one year before the date of the parliamentary elections could take part in the elections. There is no such kind of restriction in the constitution. The Ar-Namys party was founded last July and the next parliamentary elections will be held next February. President Askar Akayev also suggested last June to change the minimal time of registration of a political party until the first elections in which the party wants to take part, from one year to 6 months.
PRESIDENT AKAYEV'S BIRTHDAY.
November 10 was the 55th birthday anniversary of President Askar Akayev. He was born on 10 November 1944. According to his press service, Akayev marked his birthday at the governmental residence in the Cholpon-Ata resort on Issyk-Kul Lake. Moscow based Komsomolskaya Pravda daily carried an interview with Akayev in its November 10 edition. Akayev said that the next parliamentary elections would be held on 20 February 2000. No official decision has been released yet. Also, Akayev said he will announce whether he will run for the presidency next year only after the parliamentary elections.