Kyrgyzstan: Presidential Elections in July

Kyrgyzstan's parliament has set July 23 as the day for the country's next presidential election. Already, the governing Ak Zhol Party has indicated it will re-nominate the incumbent, Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Bakiyev's nomination will be formalized at a party convention, the date of which remains to be determined. The opposition Ata Meken Party will decide at the end of March who its presidential candidate will be, press secretary Joomart Saparbaev said March 20. Party leader Omurbek Tekebaev has not ruled out the possibility of fielding more than one candidate in the presidential race. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party, led by Bakyt Beshimov, called on the opposition to unite and put forward a single candidate. "This is a more advantageous option," he told EurasiaNet.

Former prime minister Felix Kulov, who came to power with Bakiyev during the Tulip Revolution in 2005, said his Ar-Namys party will convene in late March to formulate its election strategy. A decision by Kulov to stand in the election could be a "game changer," a source told EurasiaNet.