By Nazgul Baktybekova (1/12/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

BACKGROUND: On 6 January a District Election Commission in Bishkek officially registered Kyrgyz opposition figure Roza Otunbaeva as a candidate for parliamentary elections scheduled for 27 February. However, a few hours later members of the same District Election Commission were called for an extraordinary meeting where they overturned their previously accepted decision. The cancellation of opposition figure’s registration was explained by absence of a quorum at the initial meeting.

By Robert L. Larsson (1/12/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

BACKGROUND: When Mikhail Saakashvili took office in January 2004, he appointed a cabinet of young, western-educated and reform-minded disciples to tackle Georgia’s numerous problems. However, by June 2004, Saakashvili had made his first major reshuffle. Within the security sphere, General Prosecutor Irakli Okruashvili became Interior Minister, Interior Minister Giorgi Baramidze became Defense Minister, the Head of the National Security Council (NSC) Vano Merabishvili became Security Minister, Defense Minister Gela Bezhuashvili became Head of the NSC, and Security Minister Zurab Adeishvili took over as General Prosecutor.

By Gregory Gleason (1/12/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

BACKGROUND: Despite significant headway in macroeconomic reform, none of the countries of Central Asia has solved the problem of establishing an orderly and legitimate procedure for the transfer of power. As the communist-era leadership begins to age and the political dynamics associated with market economies begin to reshape the political landscape of Central Asia, political succession has become the defining issue in Central Asian contemporary political affairs. More than a decade after the passing of communism, the countries of Central Asia continue to be ruled by the leaders of the pre-independence communist period.