Today, President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov signed a decree on parliamentary elections on October 4. Political parties that decide to take part in the elections must submit relevant applications to the CEC within 10 days and pay a deposit in the amount of 5 million soms (4.6 million rubles). The day before, Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov announced the worsening epidemiological situation in the republic and called on party leaders not to gather crowds for the election campaign.
Over the past week in Kyrgyzstan, more than 500 people, including doctors, have been infected with a coronovirus every day. A total of 6767 infected were registered, 76 died. These are statistics only on confirmed positive tests on COVID-19. Even more patients and deaths with bilateral pneumonia, but with a negative test. In hospitals, more than 2 thousand people are treated for pneumonia. The hospitals are crowded. Many are offered to be treated at home. A video was published on social networks when patients, without waiting for help, die right at the entrance to the hospital. There are already 110 such people.
The critical situation in Bishkek, Osh and Jalal-Abad. They introduced restrictions on the operation of public transport, cafes, restaurants and markets. A field hospital was opened in Osh. Specialists of the Federal Service for Supervision of Human Welfare and Russian doctors from the National Medical Research Center for Cardiovascular Surgery came to the aid of Kyrgyz doctors. China sent a batch of mechanical ventilation. Kyrgyz citizens are wondering what the authorities did to prevent the second wave of the spread of the coronavirus, where the $ 5 million allocated by international institutions went. The country lacks medicines, ventilators and places in hospitals.
At a briefing in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov promised that each civil servant will report on the costs allocated to the fight against COVID-19. “Rumors that 400 million soms were stolen and eaten by officials are not true,” said Boronov. He assured that the government is working around the clock, tirelessly. He laid the responsibility for the spread of the infection on people who “do not follow sanitary and hygienic rules”.
However, the authorities did not begin to introduce a state of emergency. There are two reasons: the critical situation in the republic and the upcoming parliamentary elections. As Mars Sariev told Vestnik Kavkaza, the authorities are afraid of social revolt. Small and medium-sized businesses were almost killed during the first quarantine. People were left without a livelihood, many are starving. Naturally, after the restrictions were lifted, a revival began, and not always in compliance with sanitary standards. 30 thousand migrant workers from different countries returned to their homeland. To enter the state of emergency means to postpone the election, which can be fraught with unpredictable consequences.
The deputy head of the Central Election Commission Abdyzhapar Bekmatov said that political associations should send their authorized representatives on elections and financial matters to the CEC within 10 days. “40 days before the date of voting, parties must hold congresses at which lists of candidates for deputies will be compiled. Parties must also form an election fund and make a pledge in the amount of five million soms, ”Abdyzhapar Bekmatov recalled. He added that if at least one of the requirements is not met on time or the quota principle is not observed in the lists, such a party will not be registered. The deputy head of the CEC also recalled that in connection with the current epidemiological situation, mass events are prohibited, therefore they cannot organize concerts, sporting events or gather stadiums of voters. Kubatbek Boronov said that political parties should not gather crowds of people supposedly for the election campaign.
Kyrgyz politician Felix Kulov believes that in the face of a sharp aggravation of the epidemiological situation, it is difficult to talk about the possibility of a full-fledged election campaign for political parties. Certain problems will arise for most voters who want to get to know the party programs and future deputies in more detail. “I previously expressed the suggestion of the expediency of postponing the election date by about a month and a half. To this end, he suggested that our esteemed deputies not to go on vacation, extending the session until August 1, and during this time to adopt the necessary changes to the law, allowing to postpone the election date, based on the real situation. Unfortunately, they are apparently more concerned with other things. Nevertheless, if the epidemiological situation worsens, our deputies will have to be withdrawn from paid vacations and forced to make the necessary decisions, followed by an appeal to the head of state to postpone the election date. Otherwise, an inferior election campaign, in which strict quarantine restrictions on campaigning and meetings with voters will be in effect, can cause distrust, criticism and unnecessary tension in society, ”Felix Kulov wrote on his Facebook page.
