Kyrgyzstan Elections: News Sources

The following are several sources for news regarding the elections and politics in Kyrgyzstan. For friends and family who have loved one's here in Kyrgyzstan, please know that so far everything has been peaceful. In fact, minus the internet we hear very little about what is taking place in other regions of the country. It's only after I stand back from the individual dabs of news and view the canvas from a distance, that I begin to understand the picture that's being painted. The following articles reveal some of the techniques being used by the political artists as they attempt to brush their way into fame & fortune...it seems that some citizens, however, know how to identify good art from the bad...Please check out some of the following links and articles below.

For instance this Reuter's article talks about some the campaign violations that are taking place around the country--"We have seen many cases of illegal campaigning. The methods are very simple. Candidates' representatives distribute coal, vodka or potatoes to the people, paint their doorways or simply invite the whole house for a free meal," Elena Voronina of Interbilim told IRIN.

Radio Free Europe--For several stories regarding the elections a story about: One, two, three.

Freedom House--an internation organization promoting democracy worldwide, reports on independent press being shutdown prior to elections.

Volodymyr Campaign--This site does good job of finding international news about Kyrgyzstan.

Zerrissenheit--An expat mother living in Bishkek, reports on some of the news she's been hearing.

Please also check out Registan.net for a good compilation of Kyrgyzstan's elections news.

Eurasianet.org is also a decent source for news--just click on the Kyrgyzstan link on the left hand side of the page.