[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 66 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 66

 Urging the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to ensure a democratic, 
transparent, and fair process for the parliamentary elections scheduled 
                         for February 27, 2005.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 17, 2005

    Mr. McCain (for himself and Mr. Biden) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Urging the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to ensure a democratic, 
transparent, and fair process for the parliamentary elections scheduled 
                         for February 27, 2005.

Whereas on August 31, 1991, the Kyrgyz Republic declared independence from the 
        Soviet Union;
Whereas the Kyrgyz Republic has been ruled by a single President since gaining 
        independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union;
Whereas President Askar Akaev's initial years of power were marked by numerous 
        democratic reforms, including the establishment of independent media and 
        opposition party representation in a bi-cameral parliament;
Whereas in recent years, these democratic reforms have been scaled back or 
        eliminated;
Whereas today in the Kyrgyz Republic, virtually all major television outlets are 
        controlled or influenced by the President's family or the state;
Whereas the political system of the Kyrgyz Republic has been characterized by 
        the Department of State as marred by ``serious irregularities'' and its 
        human rights record has been described by the Department of State as 
        ``poor'';
Whereas in 2002, Government forces shot 4 opposition demonstrators in the 
        southern Aksy region;
Whereas in 2003, President Akaev called for a referendum, with little notice, on 
        a group of Constitutional amendments, leaving both voters and the 
        opposition unprepared to effectively participate in the vote;
Whereas the 2003 referendum vote on the Constitutional amendments was not 
        transparent and contained numerous instances of fraud;
Whereas a genuinely free and fair democratic election requires a period of 
        political campaigning in an environment in which administrative action, 
        violence, intimidation, and detention do not hinder the parties, 
        political associations, or the candidates from presenting their views 
        and qualifications to the citizenry;
Whereas unimpeded access to television, radio, print, and Internet media on a 
        non-discriminatory basis is fundamental to a genuinely free and fair 
        democratic election;
Whereas a genuinely free and fair election requires that all eligible citizens 
        be guaranteed the right and effective opportunity to exercise their 
        civil and political rights, including the right to vote, and the right 
        to seek and acquire information upon which to make an informed vote, 
        free from intimidation, undue influence, attempts at vote buying, 
        threats of political retribution, or other forms of coercion;
Whereas the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, as a participating state in the 
        Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has accepted 
        numerous specific commitments governing the conduct of elections, 
        including the provisions of the Copenhagen Document;
Whereas reports indicate that authorities within the Kyrgyz government have 
        stepped up repressive activities ahead of the parliamentary elections 
        scheduled for February 27, 2005, including unfairly excluding opposition 
        candidates from running for office, launching new restrictions on 
        freedom of assembly, harassing opposition supporters and civil society 
        activists, publicly warning against a ``Ukraine scenario'', and 
        attempting to equate political opposition with subversion; and
Whereas the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 27, 2005, will 
        provide an unambiguous test of the extent of the commitment of the 
        Kyrgyz authorities to implementing democratic reforms and building a 
        society based on free elections and the rule of law: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) acknowledges and welcomes the strong relationship 
        formed between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic since 
        the restoration of independence in 1991;
            (2) expresses its strong and continuing support for the 
        efforts of the Kyrgyz people to establish a full democracy, the 
        rule of law, and respect for human rights in the Kyrgyz 
        Republic;
            (3) urges the Kyrgyz Republic to meet its Organization for 
        Security and Cooperation in Europe commitments on democratic 
        elections; and
            (4) urges the Kyrgyz authorities to ensure--
                    (A) the full transparency of election procedures 
                before, during, and after the 2005 parliamentary 
                elections;
                    (B) the right to vote for all eligible citizens of 
                the Kyrgyz Republic;
                    (C) unimpeded access by all parties and candidates 
                to print, radio, television, and Internet media on a 
                non-discriminatory basis; and
                    (D) the right of opposition parties and candidates 
                to assemble freely, campaign openly, and contest the 
                upcoming elections on an equal basis as all other 
                parties, including the party currently in control of 
                the Parliament.
                                 <all>