The Revolution is Spreading

Robert Mayer at Publius Patriot has extensive coverage of today's elections in Kyrgyzstan. The government is up to the standard tricks, closing the opposition press and reportedly indulging in massive flagrant violations of election regulations, but the public is not remaining passive.

Some fragmentary reports -- There's this:

A sudden upsurge of civic activism has brought thousands out into the streets in Kyrgyzstan. Parliamentary elections are on 27 February, demonstrators are demanding the reinstatement of candidates pulled from races, and the specter of recent revolutionary political change in Georgia and Ukraine looms large across the former Soviet Union.

and this:

[A]nxious Kyrgyz citizens do not fear their government enough to play the passive, supplicant role expected by a president who apparently sees himself as a benign father-figure.

There's even a song of freedom:

“The wave has risen. The thunder has awoken.The time has come, a time for celebration of the victory of good over evil….”

That’s the campaign song of KelKel, a youthful political movement that is making waves in Kyrgyzstan. Loosely translated, KelKel means “new epoch” in Kyrgyz and the group — using adapted lyrics to a popular movie tune — is appealing to youth across the country to vote....

Mayer writes that despite all the excitement, these parliamentary elections will not be decisive. The big clash will be coming up in October when presidential elections will take place. The democratic opposition is just getting organized now. But it is clear that something important is taking shape in Central Asia.

Mayer also reports on today's parliamentary elections in Tajikistan. Just follow his links.

This is a terrific site. Bookmark it and check it out frequently. I know I will.