2015 Kyrgyz parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on 4 October 2015.

2015 Kyrgyz parliamentary election
Kyrgyzstan
← 2010 4 October 2015 (2015-10-04) 2020 →

All 120 seats in the Supreme Council
61 seats needed for a majority
Turnout58.89% (Decrease 2.11pp)
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/–
SDPK Chynybai Tursunbekov 27.40 38 +12
Respublika–Ata Zhurt Ömürbek Babanov 20.08 28 −23
Kyrgyzstan Kanatbek Isaev 12.91 18 New
Onuguu–Progress Bakyt Torobayev 9.30 13 New
Bir Bol Altynbek Sulaymanov [ky] 8.49 12 New
Ata-Meken Omurbek Tekebayev 7.75 11 −7
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Results by region
Prime Minister before Prime Minister after
Temir Sariyev
Akshumkar
Sooronbay Jeenbekov
SDPK
A school building being used as a polling place during the 2015 election

Electoral system

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The 120 seats in the Supreme Council were elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, with an electoral threshold of 7% on the national level, as well as 0.7% on each of the nine provinces. No party is allowed to hold more than 65 seats.[1] Party lists were required to have at least 30% of the candidates from each gender, and every fourth candidate had to be of a different gender. Each list was also required to have at least 15% of the candidates being from ethnic minorities.[1]

Biometric voter registration was introduced following claims of vote rigging in previous elections.[2]

Campaign

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Several political parties were formed in the run-up to the elections, often as an attempt by wealthy Kyrgyz to further their own interests.[2] Incumbent Prime Minister Temir Sariyev claimed that places on party lists were sold to bidders, with rumours circulating that a high place on a party's list cost between $500,000 and £1,000,000.[2]

Over 10% of prospective candidates were prevented from running due to criminal convictions, whilst one party's leader, a former boxer, was banned after it was claimed they beat up a rival candidate.[2]

Conduct

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Although there were some reports of voter fraud,[3] the OSCE mission stated that the elections had been "lively and competitive" and "unique in this region", whilst the PACE mission stated that voters had "made their choice freely among a large number of contestants."[4]

However, the OSCE noted problems with the biometric voter registration, with many people not having registered in time to receive their ID cards.[4] The Council of Europe raised concerns regarding transparency of campaigns and party financing, stating that it should be improved.[4]

Results

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Social Democratic Party431,77127.4038+12
Respublika–Ata Zhurt316,37220.0828–23
Kyrgyzstan Party203,38312.9118New
Onuguu–Progress146,4759.3013New
Bir Bol133,8008.4912New
Ata Meken Socialist Party122,1527.7511–7
United Kyrgyzstan–Emgek96,7516.1400
Zamandash [ky]43,0392.7300
Uluu Kyrgyzstan23,6761.500New
Ar-Namys12,4960.790–25
Meken Yntymagy12,4790.790New
Congress of the Peoples of Kyrgyzstan9,4810.600New
Aalam6,3280.400New
Azattyk5,2530.330New
Against all12,2950.78
Total1,575,751100.001200
Valid votes1,575,75198.27
Invalid/blank votes27,7621.73
Total votes1,603,513100.00
Registered voters/turnout2,761,29758.07
Source: CEC

References

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  1. ^ a b Electoral system IPU
  2. ^ a b c d Voters celebrate Kyrgyzstan’s democratic experiment Financial Times, 4 October 2015
  3. ^ Social Democrats Leading In Closely Watched Kyrgyz Vote Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, 4 October 2015
  4. ^ a b c Monitors Praise Kyrgyz Elections Won By Social Democrats Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, 5 October 2015