NDI’s Regional Director for Eurasia Laura Jewett addressed the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also called the Helsinki Commission, on Kyrgyzstan’s July 23 presidential election. Jewett outlined several areas in which the government of Kyrgyzstan could take steps to improve the electoral environment, which would in turn help rebuild citizen confidence in the process.

“If conducted democratically, this election could be competitive, in the sense that it would give citizens a meaningful choice among alternative visions for the future of their country,” Jewett said.

Since 1996, NDI has carried out programs aimed at contributing to the development of democratic institutions in Kyrgyzstan, including the parliament, civil society, media, and political parties. NDI has also been involved in the observation of every major election and referendum in Kyrgyzstan since the late 1990s and will support domestic and international election monitoring for the July 23 election.

Other participants in the briefing before the commission were Republic of Kyrgyzstan Ambassador to the U.S. Zamira Sydykova and Erica Marat, analyst at the Jamestown Foundation.