Kyrgyzstan’s recent parliamentary elections were marked by massive vote-buying and fraud, creating mass-scale contention and protests. Amid the resulting violence, chaos and power vacuum, President Sooronbay Jeenbekov went into hiding, only to re-appear a few days later. Since then, multiple coalitions have sought to claim power.
Now it appears that Sadyrbek Japarov - a former MP from the nationalist Ata-Jurt political party and disgraced politician - has unexpectedly emerged as the likely political victor. On 10 October, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament appointed Japarov interim prime minister, albeit with questionable legitimacy. Only a few days before, Japarov’s supporters had freed him from prison in the midst of the post-electoral chaos, during which they descended onto Bishkek streets, occupying government buildings and clashing with opponents.
These rapidly changing events highlight the important role social media play in everyday political life in Kyrgyzstan. While most Russophone social media users condemn the pro-Japarov mobilisation for being “uneducated”, suggesting that these protesters are being paid, Kyrgyz-language social networks depict the pro-Japarov protests as a “national victory for real patriotism”. In Kyrgyzstan, while Russian-speaking social media are generally oriented towards middle-class and urban residents, Kyrgyz-language social media are normally popular among residents in regions and rural areas.
