Kyrgyzstan holds early parliamentary elections

BISHKEK -- Early parliamentary elections began in Kyrgyzstan on Sunday to elect 90 deputies to the country's unicameral legislature.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kyrgyzstan reported that 2,492 polling stations have opened across the country, along with 27 remote voting stations and 100 polling stations abroad. Voting takes place from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm local time (1400 GMT to 0200 GMT).

According to the CEC, 460 candidates are participating in the elections being held in 30 multi-member constituencies, with three deputies elected in each using a majoritarian system. No more than two of the three seats in any constituency may be held by candidates of the same gender. Additionally, the law requires that representatives of the same gender must hold at least 30 parliamentary seats overall.

On Sept 25, Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted to dissolve itself, citing concerns over the close timing of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Lawmakers argued that holding both elections so close together could undermine political stability and suggested earlier parliamentary elections.

On Sept 30, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a decree to hold the parliamentary elections on Nov 30.

According to the initial schedule, Kyrgyzstan's new parliamentary elections were to be held in November 2026, while presidential elections are scheduled for just two months later, in January 2027.

Kyrgyzstan's unicameral parliament, Jogorku Kenesh, consists of 90 members elected for five-year terms.