Parliament of Kyrgyzstan will not discuss lowering the electoral threshold to 3 percent. Deputy Iskhak Masaliev withdrew his initiative. He told 24.kg news agency.
According to the deputy, he spoke with his colleagues and came to the conclusion that optimal threshold was 5 percent. This amendment to the electoral legislation has already been submitted for public discussion by a group of deputies.
Iskhak Masaliev believes that the deputies will still support the idea of lowering the threshold by four steps. «Yes, I wanted the barrier to be 3 percent. And I am supported by Omurbek Tekebayev and Adakhan Madumarov. These mature and smart politicians understand that 3 percent is the most realistic minimum. But they are not in the Parliament and do not vote,» he complained.
The deputy noted: in general, parliament members agree that the threshold should be reduced and 9 percent is an insurmountable barrier.
Iskhak Masaliev recalled that the rule on amending the election law a year before the start of the campaign itself was repealed. «Therefore, we can make amendments an unlimited number of times, at least until the fall of 2020. Moreover, all previous changes are canceled with the entry into force of new ones. We ask to lower the threshold, because the election may simply not take place with 9 percent,» he explained.
The set threshold of 9 percent and the amount of the deposit caused a lot of controversy. Experts called these points failing and playing into the hands of oligarchs. Before the summer recess, the Parliament approved a package of changes, including the indicated scandalous amendments. President Sooronbai Jeenbekov signed the approved version.
