Kyrgyz Republic Political Process Program
Kyrgyz disability rights activists and electoral stakeholders participate in a Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) training.
Through the “Kyrgyz Republic Political Process Program” (KPPP), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is helping build an active and informed electorate within Kyrgyzstan that is more engaged with the political decision-making process and holds political parties, election authorities and elected leaders accountable. By helping build more transparent, sustainable and inclusive and democratic institutions and with supporting greater citizen participation, IFES is supporting greater accountability and improved governance in Kyrgyzstan.
From 2016-22, IFES is implementing targeted activities to support electoral integrity; encourage engagement and leadership of historically marginalized groups in political spaces; and promote good governance through inclusive electoral reform processes that reflect citizen and expert opinion.
Key Activities
Increasing the Capacity of the Central Election Commission and Other Electoral Stakeholders
To build institutional capacity, IFES supports improvements to the organizational management and strategic planning. These efforts include working with electoral experts to develop learning modules in both electronic and written formats as modern training tools. IFES furthermore supports the Central Election Commission (CEC) to improve its communication and public outreach capability.
Support for Electoral Legal Reform
Under KPPP, IFES works with the CEC, parliament, State Registry Service and other institutions to strengthen electoral legislation according to international best practices on topics including clarification of Election Day operations, voter registration and improved political finance procedures.
Enfranchisement of Persons with Disabilities
IFES has continued to expand its inclusion programming, including assistance with the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Kyrgyzstan and trainings for the election officials on accommodating voters with disabilities. In 2017, IFES notably conducted an accessibility audit of over 2,300 polling stations. IFES activities aim to raise the CEC’s and other stakeholders’ awareness of the importance of ensuring equal rights of voters with disabilities, including targeted civic education and information campaigns.
Youth Civic Education
Under KPPP, IFES facilitates innovative Democracy Camps, Open Civics Lessons, Mini- and Winter Camps and Youth Media Laboratories designed to broaden understanding and interest in government, volunteerism and active civic participation and inclusion within Kyrgyzstani youth. IFES further supports camp alumni in implementing community initiatives through its Democracy Camp Alumni Network, which consists of more than 3,000 members. Under KPPP, IFES developed a civic education textbook for students of vocational schools and began developing an interactive university-level civic education course.