The president of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, earned 85 percent of the vote, winning the July 23rd election, which came as no surprise to anyone, whether the Kyrgyz population or any of the major powers. His opponent, SDP leader Almazbek Atambayev, ran a weak campaign that few expected to succeed.
It is hard to write this post because the conclusion was so incredibly foregone. I can’t express feelings of dissapointment, because I doubt that a change in leadership would do much. As I have expressed before, Kyrgyzstan lacks the requisite institutions to make democracy work, not a lack of leadership.
