IRI Continues Candidate Training Initiative

February 11, 2005

In January, IRI trained candidate representatives on their role in the upcoming Feb. 27 parliamentary elections. The training was the third phase of IRI’s parliamentary election program and followed earlier trainings for campaign staff and candidate public speaking. More than 500 activists from 10 political parties participated in the trainings that were held in 11 cities in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The trainings focused on the rights of candidate representatives during the elections. These representatives, which include observers and members of the polling station commission with advisory vote, have wide-ranging rights but often make poor use of them due to lack of training and access to information. IRI trainers emphasized that increased knowledge of these rights will help assure fair elections. One participant remarked, “If we had more frequent trainings like this, then people would know their rights and struggle to defend them.”

During the training, participants saw first-hand the invisible ink that will be used for the first time in the Kyrgyz Republic to mark voters’ thumbs.

The trainings were conducted in an atmosphere of increased rhetoric from Kyrgyzstani President Askar Akaev about international interference in the development of Kyrgyzstani democracy. Kyrgyzstani authorities have stated that international organizations such as IRI only support the opposition and could stir a repeat of the election-related events in Ukraine and Georgia. IRI drew support from both inside and outside the Kyrgyzstani government to overcome an order from the Chairman of the Central Election Commission to halt the party activist trainings before they had started.

The election for the one-chamber, 75-seat parliament is expected to be the most competitive in the 15-year history of this former Soviet Republic.

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