The Central Election Commission (CEC) has completed the registration of candidates for the early elections of deputies to the Jogorku Kenesh in Kyrgyzstan in the Batken, Kara-Suu, and Osh single-mandate districts. A total of 36 candidates have been registered, including one woman.
The CEC noted that 42 candidates had initially submitted statements of intent to participate in the early elections, with 6 later withdrawing. The elections are set to take place on April 28 in the three single-mandate districts to elect new deputies to the Jogorku Kenesh.
Following the airing of reports on the "Region TV" channel, owned by the head of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) Kamchybek Tashiev, regarding the connections of certain MPs with former customs official Raimbek Matraimov, some of them declined their mandates. Among those mentioned are Raimbek's brother Iskender Matraimov, Aibek Osmonov, Shailoobek Atazov, and the initiator of the foreign agents bill Nadira Narmatova.
Respondents suggest that these Jogorku Kenesh members should voluntarily resign from their parliamentary duties or be stripped of their mandates. The CEC has already terminated the mandate of Atabek Boronbaev from the "Ata-Jurt Kyrgyzstan" faction, who previously headed the Southwest Customs before entering parliament. The mandate was transferred to the next candidate on the party's pre-election list, businessman Saidbek Zulpuev.
Subsequently, based on statements of relinquishing mandates, the CEC prematurely terminated the mandates of MPs Iskender Matraimov, Nurlan Rajabaliyev, and Aibek Osmonov. As they entered parliament from single-mandate districts, early elections have been scheduled for these districts by presidential decrees. A total of 34,648,000 soms is planned to be spent on the preparation and conduct of these elections.
