By empty (2/27/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

A Kyrgyz opposition leader said violations have been reported in Sunday\'s parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan. \"Reports have been arriving since the morning about flagrant violations of election regulations and about the use of administrative pressure during the elections and during preparations for the elections,\" Roza Otunbayeva, leader of the Ata-Zhurt (Fatherland) opposition movement told the press on Sunday. \"The elections are unfair and are likely to be followed by a wave of popular protests,\" Otunbayeva said.

By empty (2/25/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Tajik opposition parties stated on 24 February that they continue to face harassment in the final days before 27 February parliamentary elections. Rahmatullo Valiev, deputy head of the Democratic Party, told a news conference on 24 February that the party\'s television advertisements have been shown with central elements of the party\'s program removed, RFE/RL\'s Tajik Service reported. Rahmatullo Zoirov, leader of the Social Democratic Party, charged that more ballots than there are registered voters have been delivered to a number of districts, raising fears of possible fraud, the BBC\'s Persian Service reported on 24 February.

By empty (2/24/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Georgian parliament voted on 23 February to extend the length of obligatory military service from 12 to 18 months starting in the spring of 2005. The extension, to remain in effect until January 2008, is an element of the country\'s broader military-reform effort, which includes a sweeping reorganization of the Defense Ministry and is tied to the longer-term strategic plan for closer integration with Western security institutions. (ITAR-TASS).