On November 30, 2025, Kyrgyzstan is holding parliamentary elections that the article’s authors describe as the first vote of a new kind. After the 2021 constitutional reform, the country effectively moved away from its earlier parliamentary model, while interest in parliament itself has fallen as presidential power has expanded.
Regional specialists Roman Chernikov and Talgat Kuliev write that real power is concentrated in the hands of President Sadyr Japarov and security chief Kamchybek Tashiev. The opposition is fragmented, while media outlets, according to Novaya-Europe’s sources, increasingly rely on self-censorship and rarely publish investigations into the top leadership.
The pre-election week was marked by Vladimir Putin’s visit to Bishkek. The authors note that the authorities even installed a large screen near the Yntymak Ordo residence to shield the Ukrainian diplomatic mission across the street from the ceremonial view. During the meeting, Japarov said Russia remained resilient in a difficult geopolitical and economic environment and linked that resilience to Putin’s personal leadership qualities.
The article says Bishkek does not hide its political and economic orientation toward Moscow. Kyrgyzstan is described as an important link in sanction-circumvention schemes, and the first bank in Central Asia to fall under US sanctions was Bishkek-based Keremet. The authors also argue that Russian propaganda projects have expanded most broadly in Kyrgyzstan, including initiatives tied to the NGO Eurasia and the new TV channel Nomad.
According to the experts, the current electoral system based on single-member districts has weakened parties and made politics easier to manage. Instead of nationwide competition, the country now sees localized campaigns, and by the 2026 presidential election it may be left with only two politicians of national stature: Japarov and Tashiev.
The publication’s sources also describe an unprecedentedly harsh climate for journalists and civil society. Dina Maslova, head of Kaktus.media, said reporters are leaving the profession, independent outlets are closing or operating from abroad, and pressure has extended even to lawyers. Against that backdrop, the authors conclude, Kyrgyzstan is moving ever further away from its former reputation as the region’s most open country.