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Kyrgyzstan
Women in decision-making positions
No data on number of women in elected deliberative bodies
No woman is Head of State/Government
20%
Parliamentarians are women
13%
Ministers are women

Government organization

Kyrgyzstan is a unitary republic with two spheres of government: central and local.

One tier of central government and one tier of local government.
Central government
  • Head of State: The President is directly elected by voters.
  • Head of Government: The Prime Minister is nominated by the faction that has more than one half of deputies' mandates of the Supreme Council. The Prime Minister is approved by the Supreme Council and then appointed by the President.
  • Legislative body: The Supreme Council (Jogorku Kenesh) is a unicameral legislature whose members are directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Government is composed of the Prime Minister, vice-prime ministers, ministers, and chairpersons of state committees. Members of the Government are proposed by the Prime Minister to the Supreme Council for approval; members of the Government are appointed by the President.
Local government
  • Organization: Local government is organized into one tier, consisting of 459 village-level local government units, 23 city-level local government units, the City of Osh, and the City of Bishkek.
  • Competencies: Local government is responsible for collecting tax and non-tax revenue, issuing binding decisions within its jurisdiction, approving and amending the budget, adopting programs of socio-economic development and social security, managing and disposing of municipal property, providing clean drinking water, managing the functioning of the sewer systems, municipal roads, and garbage disposal, laying down the rules for land use and zoning regulations, managing cemeteries, creating parks and recreational zones, assisting the central government in their exercise of their sovereignty over natural resources, and undertaking measures to combat domestic violence.
  • Ministerial oversight: State Agency on Local Government and Interethnic Relations

Overview of local government

Local government composition
City of Osh and City of Bishkek government

Deliberative body: The Council of Osh and the Council of Bishkek are composed of 45 elected members each. A council chairperson is elected by and from the council to preside over it; the council chairperson is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The city mayor’s office is composed of the mayor, vice-mayor, and the heads of committees and structural subdivisions. The mayor is elected by and from the Council of Osh/Bishkek members. All other members of the city mayor’s office are appointed by the mayor.

City and village-level government

Deliberative body: The city council (city kenesh)/village council (ayil kenesh) is composed of 11-31 elected members. A council chairperson is elected by and from the council to preside over it; the council chairperson is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: In cities, the city mayor’s office is composed of the mayor, vice-mayor, and the heads of structural and territorial divisions. The mayor is elected by and from the city council; the other members of the city mayor’s office are appointed by the mayor. In villages, the ayil okmotu is composed of the head of the ayil okmotu and at least three additional members appointed by the ayil okmotu. The ayil okmotu is elected by and from the village council.

Local government elections
Electoral system

Electoral system for deliberative bodies: proportional representation (closed list) for city councils; majority/plurality (block vote) for village councils

  • For city council, Council of Osh, and Council of Bishkek elections, a proportional closed-list electoral system is used with a 7% threshold. The entire local government area is a single electoral unit for the purpose of local deliberative body elections.
  • For village council elections, a majority electoral system is used with multi-member constituencies. Candidates are elected upon receiving the largest number of votes of voters of the corresponding constituency that took part in the voting.

Electoral system for executive head: no direct elections

  • The mayor/ayil okmotu is elected by and from the council.

Source: Law on Elections of Deputies of Local Councils, 2011 (amended through 2019), articles 47, 56-1, 59 and 62

Quotas

Gender quotas: Legislated candidate quotas, ranking/placement, reserved seats

  • When forming lists of candidates for the city council, Council of Osh, and Council of Bishkek elections, political parties cannot have more than 70% of candidates of the same gender. The difference in priority of women and men within candidate lists should not exceed two positions.
  • For carrying out elections of deputies of ayylny keneshes not less than 30 percent of mandates of deputies of the ayylny kenesh for women on each ayylny kenesh are reserved.

Additional quotas: No

Source: Law on Elections of Deputies of Local Councils, 2011 (amended through 2019), articles 49 and 59-1

Term of elections
  • Term length: 4 years
  • Last local elections: 2021
  • Next local elections: 2025
Electoral management body

Central Commission on Elections and Referenda of the Kyrgyz Republic

National legal framework on local government
National legal framework
  • Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, 2010 (amended through 2017);
  • Law on the Status of the Capital, 2013 (amended through 2019);
  • Law on the Status of the City of Osh, 2013 (amended through 2019);
  • Law on Elections of Deputies of Local Councils, 2011 (amended through 2019);
  • Law on Local Self-Government, 2011 (amended through 2019);
  • Law on the Administrative and Territorial Division of the Kyrgyz Republic, 2008.
Constitutional provisions on local government

There are constitutional provisions that establish local government in Kyrgyzstan. According to Articles 110 and 111 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic of 2010 (amended through 2017), “local self-governance shall be the right guaranteed by the present Constitution and a real possibility for local communities to independently resolve the matters of local significance in their own interests and under their responsibility. Local self-governance shall be implemented by local communities of citizens either directly or through local self-governance bodies. The system of local self governance bodies is comprised of: 1) Local keneshes – the representative bodies of local self governance; 2) Ayil okmotus and mayors’ offices – executive bodies of local self governance. Executive bodies of local self governance and the officials thereof are accountable towards local keneshes in their activity.”

Legislative provisions on local government

The Supreme Council is responsible for establishing the national legal framework on local government. The key piece of legislation that regulates local government is the Law on Local Self-Government of 2011 (amended through 2019), which establishes principles of the organization of local government at the level of administrative-territorial units of the Kyrgyz Republic, defines the role of local government, approves the organizational and legal bases and competences of the local government bodies and public authorities, and establishes the principles and guarantee of the right of local communities to self-government.

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2023.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 3 October 2023.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2023.

4. IPU and UN Women: Data on share of women in ministerial positions as of 1 January 2023.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2021.