By Arslan Sabyrbekov (the 05/02/2014 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Kyrgyzstan’s entry into the Customs Union with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus is a hot topic in Bishkek as the recently created political party Reforma, with the support of civil society activists, organized a protest against the country’s entry into the Union. According to the protest organizers and participants, in the Customs Union Kyrgyzstan will lose its sovereignty, face restrictions on its political freedom and the prices for all commodities will rise by 25-30 percent.
By Arslan Sabyrbekov (the 08/01/2014 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On January 7, Kyrgyzstan's Grand Mufti Rakhmatulla-Hajji Egemberdiev stepped down amid a scandal over a sex video posted on local websites on New Year’s Eve. The country’s spiritual leader had personally submitted his resignation to the Council of Ulemas (Religious Clerics), stating that it was an inhumane act with the objective of damaging his dignity and called on President Atambayev to intervene and protect his rights. Egemberdiev is now the sixth mufti replaced in Kyrgyzstan over the past four years amid different scandals.
By Arslan Sabyrbekov (the 11/12/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Bishkek mayor Isa Omurkulov resigned on December 4, two days after an investigation into alleged abuse of office charges were filed against him by the Kyrgyzstan’s Prosecutor General. During the press conference, Omurkulov stated to the public that his decision to step down was unrelated to the probe, but declined to specify the concrete reasons for his resignation.
The Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is a biweekly publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, a Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center affiliated with the American Foreign Policy Council, Washington DC., and the Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm. For 15 years, the Analyst has brought cutting edge analysis of the region geared toward a practitioner audience.
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