Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, head of the CSTO PA international observer mission to the Kyrgyzstan elections talks about the importance of parliamentary elections in the life of the Kyrgyz Republic, personal election experience and deputies acting in the capacity of international observers:

– Mr Zatulin, on October 4 you will be coordinating a group of international observers from the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly at the elections to the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic. The group included deputies of the parliaments of the CSTO States. What is the purpose of involving deputies, of all professionals, to act as international observers at the elections? Why not experts or public officials, as other organizations do?
– First of all, I would like to note that parliamentary elections are a serious event in political life of any country. Elections to the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic are especially important, because the parliament plays a special role here. In the Kyrgyz Republic, it is a mechanism for coordinating the interests not only of different political forces, but also of communities.
In the former Soviet republics that are independent states now, presidency as an institution plays an important role. The situation in the Kyrgyz Republic is the same. But, taking into account the specificities of Kyrgyzstan’s internal state and relations between the North and the South, it is parliament that can align interests and eliminate possible differences that exist in different parts of the country, keep the state afloat and enable its further development.
Throughout recent history, Kyrgyzstan has repeatedly found itself in a turbulent political state, when the leadership of the republic changed as a result of mass protests. As a matter of fact, territorial integrity and preservation of the Kyrgyz Republic as a single state is achieved exactly thanks to the fact that different stakeholders get an opportunity to be represented in power through parliamentary elections.
From this standpoint, participation of observer deputies from Kyrgyzstan’s CSTO allies certainly plays a crucial role. As always in the East, the level of an observer and their status matter. An observer’s experience is no less important. Deputies who themselves passed through the crucible of elections are able to objectively assess both the degree of preparedness of the election campaign and the presence or absence of problems that may arise during the elections. They can objectively assess certain shortcomings and determine whether they can affect the results of the election.
In this sense, thanks to the deputies’ personal experience they are more prepared to perform the duties of an international observer than anyone else.
International observers, who have never undergone the election procedure themselves, sometimes may rush to conclusions. They may be inclined to exaggerate certain things. Deputies, in this sense, have much more experience of their own, which allows them to be more objective.
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