Kyrgyzstan remains the only Central Asian country, that retains a functioning democracy. In the 27 years since the end of the Soviet Union, democratic institutions have been under siege in the region. As the smallest of the former Soviet Republics, Kyrgyzstan at just 6.1 million, held a competitive election last October. It may well be the last one. Since independence, Kyrgyzstan has officially been a unitary parliamentary republic. It has continued to be one, despite ethnic conflicts, a number of revolts, transitional […]