SRES111APR15

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Week Ending April 15, 2005

Senate Resolution 111 urging the United States to increase its efforts to ensure democratic reform in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Click flag for map and country data, Kyrgyztan - Kyrgyz Republic

BRIEF

The US has a military base in Kyrgyzstan that is used for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Recently the Kyrgyz people rebelled against what they considered to be a corrupt political regime.

The President resigned and the country has made efforts to democratize and conduct elections. Election observing organizations, however, have found fairly wide-spread corruption.

This country fits well into US foreign policy in central Asia: it is cooperating with the use of the airbase and it appears to be struggling to establish a transparent government as the Bush administration would like all such countries to do.

The resolution notes that the US has been bonded with Kyrgyzstan since 1991 after the USSR dissolved and urges “free, fair, and transparent presidential elections on July 10, 2005, and by ensuring that the new parliament in the Kyrgyz Republic represents the choice of the Kyrgyz people.”

Sponsor: Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent.

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost.

MORE INFORMATION

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, this resolution urges the United States to increase its efforts to ensure democratic reform in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Kyrgyz Republic has held two rounds of parliamentary elections, the first on February 27 the second on March 13. While both election rounds showed progress toward the goal of a free, fair, and transparent election process, the elections fell short of the Kyrgyz Republic's Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's OSCE and international commitments to fully meet the accepted criteria for democratic elections.

Violations included instances of vote buying, questionable disqualification of candidates and interference with the media.

Inspired by the recent revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia, the people of the Kyrgyz Republic rose against their corrupt government to demand respect for their democratic rights. Nationwide demonstrations sparked by the flawed parliamentary elections led to the departure of President Askar Akayev on March 22. The opposition moved quickly to consolidate control and established an interim government. On April 4, President Akayev officially resigned. But the situation remains fluid. The outcome in the Kyrgyz Republic is critically important for its future, and for people living in the Central Asia region, who hope for a democratic future.

The United States and the Kyrgyz Republic have formed a close relationship since it declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The United States has provided humanitarian assistance, nonlethal military assistance, and assistance to support economic and political reforms. The Kyrgyz Republic also hosts a U.S. military base that provides crucial support to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

However, while the Kyrgyz Republic has advanced quickly in the area of democratic reform since 1991, it has experienced setbacks in recent years. I urge the United States in my resolution to continue its strong support for democratic reform in the Kyrgyz Republic, including respect for the rule of law and human rights.

I also call upon the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic to move swiftly toward democratic government ratified by the Kyrgyz people by holding free, fair, and transparent presidential elections on July 10, and by ensuring that the new parliament represents the choice of the Kyrgyz people. The United States must provide strong leadership in countries where democracy is still taking root.

I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

S. Res. 111

Whereas on August 31, 1991, the Kyrgyz Republic declared independence from the Soviet Union;

Whereas the Kyrgyz Republic was ruled by President Askar Akayev from October 1991 to April 2005;

Whereas the Kyrgyz Republic held a first round of parliamentary elections on February 27, 2005;

Whereas the United States Government recognized several areas of improvement in the parliamentary elections in the Kyrgyz Republic, including competitive elections and the active participation of civil society, but it noted the elections fell short of the commitments of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other international entities to fully meet the accepted criteria for democratic elections;

Whereas nation-wide demonstrations sparked by the flawed parliamentary elections in the Kyrgyz Republic led to the departure of President Akayev and the collapse of his government on March 22, 2005;

Whereas Askar Akayev officially resigned as President of the Kyrgyz Republic on April 4, 2005;

Whereas the Kyrgyz people, through their actions, have created an opportunity for a democratic and stable future for the Kyrgyz Republic;

Whereas the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic can earn the confidence of the Kyrgyz people and the international community by abiding by its commitment to hold free and fair presidential elections on July 10, 2005, and by ensuring that the members of the new parliament in the Kyrgyz Republic represent the choice of the Kyrgyz people;

Whereas the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic can move towards resolving the political crisis in the Kyrgyz Republic in a way that confirms the will of the Kyrgyz people by working closely with its immediate neighbors and with the OSCE;

Whereas the United States strongly supports efforts by the OSCE to work with the

Kyrgyz people to strengthen democratic institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic, which will provide the foundation for political stability in the Kyrgyz Republic;

Whereas the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic value a good relationship;

Whereas the United States provides humanitarian assistance, nonlethal military assistance, and assistance to support economic and political reforms as part of the democratic transition process in the Kyrgyz Republic; and

Whereas security in the Kyrgyz Republic remains a top concern of the United States due to its strong support of the United States in the global war on terrorism: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) welcomes the official resignation of Askar Akayev as President of the Kyrgyz Republic;

(2) acknowledges and welcomes the close relationship formed between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic since it declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 31, 1991;

(3) supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the Kyrgyz Republic;

(4) urges the continuation of strong support for democratic reform, including respect for the rule of law and human rights, in the Kyrgyz Republic;

(5) urges the interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic to move swiftly toward the democratic government ratified by the Kyrgyz people by holding free, fair, and transparent presidential elections on July 10, 2005, and by ensuring that the new parliament in the Kyrgyz Republic represents the choice of the Kyrgyz people; and

(6) urges the people of the Kyrgyz Republic to take advantage of the readiness of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to expand its assistance in preparing for free and fair presidential elections in the Kyrgyz Republic as the foundation of political legitimacy and stability in the Kyrgyz Republic.

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