Kyrgyzstan: Osh Voters Warily Eye Watershed Election

The sense of tranquility in a sleepy village near Osh, Kyrgyzstan's southern capital, was shattered by an election campaign van blaring out patriotic songs as it jostled for space with a herd of cows.

With the campaign before October 4 parliamentary polls wrapping up, the 14 parties in the running have been making their last pitches to an electorate that seems impressed less by razzmatazz than reassurances of continuity.

"If only it all passes off quietly," sighed Koldashbay Taylakov, a pensioner observing the Butun Kyrgyzstan-Emgek (All Kyrgyzstan-Labor) party vehicle trundling through the village of VLKSM on October 2. The village still bears its Soviet-era name, which is the acronym for the young communists' league.

The stakes in this election are particularly high in southern Kyrgyzstan, where memories of the bloody clashes in 2010 between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities still hang heavy. Five years ago, VLKSM stood on the frontline of the refugee crisis sparked by the violence. Uzbeks fleeing Osh thronged the streets there as they rushed for the nearby border crossing with Uzbekistan.

VLKSM's streets are now bedecked with colorful campaign posters, although many villagers have already made their electoral choice. "We support the president's party," said Fatima Atakhanova, the village medic, standing outside the clinic near the local headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (SPDK), which is closely associated with, if not officially led by, President Almazbek Atambayev.

Support for the SDPK appears rock-solid among the Uzbek community in and around Osh, which buys into the slogan emblazoned on the party's VLKSM headquarters: "Your Reliable Bulwark."

The SDPK "doesn't distinguish between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz," said Dilnavaz, a 20-year-old vendor of meat dumplings at the Osh bazaar who asked that her surname not to be published. "When he [Atambayev] came to power, things got better for us."

Atambayev became president after the toppling of his predecessor, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, in an April 2010 revolution fueled by anger over the rampant corruption that many saw as root cause for their stagnant standards of living. The ethnic clashes that followed in June in Osh and other towns in the south sprung up in the chaos and uncertainty that followed that bloody revolt.

The violence left 470 dead, three-quarters of them Uzbeks, according to an international investigation whose results are disputed by the government. Human rights activists say Uzbeks were disproportionately targeted for prosecution over the violence and left marginalized by the surge of Kyrgyz nationalism.

Fears of unrest lurk below the surface of these elections. Most voters say they prize the fragile peace between the communities, and believe the voting will proceed calmly. "I'm voting for peace," said ethnic Kyrgyz SDPK supporter Kochkorbay Matykhanov, a butcher at the Osh bazaar sporting a traditional kalpak felt hat.

But parties known for espousing nationalist rhetoric seem poised to make a strong showing in Osh.

Ata-Meken (Fatherland) is attracting some voters by featuring the face of former mayor Melisbek Myrzakmatov on its campaign posters in Osh. Myrzakmatov is a highly contentious figure among Uzbeks and is blamed by them for failing to prevent, if not stoking, the ethnic unrest while he was mayor of the city in 2010.

He is not standing as he is currently on the run abroad, evading a seven-year prison sentence on abuse of office charges.

In addition, support for the Respublika-Ata Jurt (Republic-Fatherland) party is firm, despite a recent election commission decision to disqualify co-leader and nationalist firebrand Kamchybek Tashiyev from running for allegedly beating up a rival candidate.

The party's promise of providing low-interest loans to citizens is proving a hit. "I always need credit to import my goods," prospective Respublika-Ata Jurt voter Bektemir Satarov, a children's clothes seller, told EurasiaNet.org.

Respublika-Ata Jurt's anti-corruption platform also resonates with voters tired of their venal officials.

Allegations of vote buying are rife in Osh as the parties scramble for support. "At our university, parties have been offering 1,000 soms [$15] per vote," Merim Sadykova, a master's student at Osh State University who has a side job selling kazy, or horse-meat sausage, at the market, told EurasiaNet.org.

Sadykova said that in order to collect their fee on election day, students are being asked to show a mobile phone snapshot of their ballot paper.

Like many voters, Sadykova wants parties in parliament that will kick-start Kyrgyzstan's ailing economy and create jobs. Sadykova said she will vote for Aalam (Universe), one of several parties that are standing for the first time. Others new parties drawing support in Osh include Bir Bol (Be United) and Onuguu-Progress.

Another new formation that may perform well is the Kyrgyzstan Party, which attracted an impressive crowd of 10,000 for an October 1 rally at Osh's central stadium. Proceedings were opened by an akyn musical poet singing the praises of Kyrgyzstan - both the country and the party - and closed with a pop concert and firework display. The political speeches were lightened by the festive mood, with balloons in the party colors of blue and yellow floating overhead and popcorn sellers plying a crowd bussed in from all over the region.

The previous evening, the SDPK held a rally on Osh central square attended by around 3,000 people. Some were drawn there less out of political fervor than by a concert featuring diverse acts. Some of those present were SDPK supporters, some backed other parties, and yet others were undecided.

"It's a serious thing," said pensioner Alibay Alibek. "There are so many parties, each with their own program. I'm going to study the programs. I'm taking my civic duty seriously."

For all the lofty pledges being made by the array of parties running, the ambitions of the electorate are markedly modest. "After [the political and ethnic violence] there's stability now," a resident of VLKSM, a cook who declined to give his name, told EurasiaNet.org. "Kyrgyz and Uzbeks are working together, doing business. No one's rioting. If things go on like this, we'll be able to live a normal life."

Editor's note: Joanna Lillis is a freelance writer who specializes in Central Asia.