Kyrgyzstan's Political impasse raises systemic risks

On August 27, President Almazbek Atambayev signed a decree mandating that his Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) form a new governing coalition. The government formation process follows the collapse of Kyrgyzstan's ruling coalition in the aftermath of a scandal involving erstwhile Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov. Two members of the four-party coalition withdrew their support, and the country now faces a tussle for the influential premiership. Electoral and parliamentary politics in Kyrgyzstan are rarely fought over policy differences -- and the president has positioned himself as a key source and broker of power amid the current impasse.