Bridging the divide

摘要

LAST October Kyrgyzstan's parliamentary elections were heralded as the first in post-Soviet Central Asia in which the result was not known in advance. The presidential election on October 30th this year could be the second. This month's vote will also continue the transformation of a country of 5.5m people into a parliamentary republic-unprecedented in Central Asia, where a presidential strongmen have run the show for decades with the firmest of hands.