{
  "id": "RL32864",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32864",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 305997,
      "date": "2005-04-14",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:47:01.388029",
      "title": "Coup in Kyrgyzstan: Developments and Implications",
      "summary": "Kyrgyzstan is a small and poor country that gained independence in 1991 with the breakup of\nthe\nSoviet Union. It was long led by Askar Akayev -- who many observers warned was becoming\nincreasingly autocratic -- but the country was still considered \"the most open, progressive and\ncooperative in Central Asia,\" according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. The\nUnited States has been interested in helping Kyrgyzstan to enhance its sovereignty and territorial\nintegrity, increase democratic participation and civil society, bolster economic reform and\ndevelopment, strengthen human rights, prevent weapons proliferation, and more effectively combat\ntransnational terrorism and trafficking in persons and narcotics. The significance of Kyrgyzstan to\nthe United States increased after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. The\nKyrgyz government permitted the United States to establish a military base that trans-ships\npersonnel, equipment, and supplies to support coalition operations in Afghanistan.\n Many people both inside and outside Kyrgyzstan were hopeful that the national legislative\nelection on February 27, 2005 would strengthen political pluralism, easing the way for a peaceful\nhandover of executive power in late 2005 when President Akayev was expected to step down. The\nlegislative race proved highly contentious, however, and necessitated a second round of voting on\nMarch 13. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe tentatively concluded that\nserious irregularities took place in the first round. After the February 27 vote, protestors occupied\ngovernment offices in the southern part of the country, and protests spread throughout the rest of the\ncountry after the second round of voting. On March 24, thousands of protesters stormed the\npresidential and other offices in the capital of Bishkek and Akayev and his family fled. He resigned\nas president on April 4. Acting president Kurmanbek Bakiyev has pledged to focus on combating\ncorruption that siphons away investment capital, and stressed that foreign policy would not change,\nincluding Kyrgyzstan's close relations with Russia and the United States. Looming challenges to\nKyrgyzstan's stability include a planned presidential election, possible legislative by-elections to fill\nseats under dispute, and a possible referendum to adopt democratic changes to the constitution. \n Indicating early support for democratization and continued security ties, Defense Secretary\nDonald Rumsfeld briefly visited Kyrgyzstan on April 14. Cumulative U.S. budgeted assistance to\nKyrgyzstan for FY1992-FY2004 was $749.0 million (FREEDOM Support Act and agency funds). \nKyrgyzstan ranks third in such aid per capita among the Soviet successor states, indicative of U.S.\nGovernment and Congressional support in the early 1990s for its apparent progress in making\nreforms and more recently for anti-terrorism and border protection. Of this aid, 14.6% supported\ndemocratization programs. While this aid has bolstered the growth of civil society in Kyrgyzstan,\nthe Administration also has stressed that the United States did not orchestrate the coup. As Congress\nand the Administration consider how to assist democratic and economic transformation in\nKyrgyzstan, several possible programs have been suggested, including those to buttress civil rights,\nconstruct a federal government, and bolster private sector economic growth. (See also CRS Issue Brief IB93108,  Central Asia , updated regularly.)",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs"
  ]
}