The 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in Kyrgyzstan shows that corruption undermines the system and exacerbates violation of democratic principles amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The international organization Transparency International reports.
According to the research results for the last year, the Kyrgyz Republic took 124th place out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index.
«Kyrgyzstan scored 31 points out of 100, being on a par with Kenya, Mexico and Pakistan. It is worth noting that the place is not the key point in the ranking, since the number of states can increase or decrease. The main indicator is the number of points scored,» the statement says.
From 2015 to 2020, the Kyrgyz Republic’s score in the index changed from 28 to 31 points in 2020.
«Annual small changes are due to the fact that the systemic countering corruption was replaced by targeted criminal cases, the existing anti-corruption tools did not develop, there was no political will for real changes, and therefore the fight against corruption was doomed to remain declarative,» the organization notes.
According to experts of Transparency International, targeted measures taken by the authorities responsible for combating corruption, as well as local amendments to legislation, are not able to radically change the situation in the republic. To do this, it is necessary to build an inclusive system for coordinating the interests of public actors that will prevent the authorities from making rash decisions in the interests of a narrow group of people.
A survey of the perceptions of corruption in 180 countries found out that more than two-thirds of states scored less than 50 points in the CPI this year, with an average score of just 43. The data show that, despite some progress, most states still fail to effectively combat corruption.
The top countries are Denmark and New Zealand with 88 points, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland with 85 points each. South Sudan and Somalia take the last place with 12 points, followed by Syria (14), Yemen (15) and Venezuela (15).
As for the CIS countries and geographic neighbors of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan improved its position from 34 to 38 points and rose from 113th to 94th place, Armenia — from 42 to 49 points and rose from 77th place to 60th, and Georgia has a good position — 56 points, like last year. Uzbekistan improved its position by one point and scored 26 points compared to last year. Tajikistan remained on the same position with 25 points as in the previous year.
Research analysis shows the relationship between the level of perception of corruption and political integrity in a country.
Countries in which financing of election campaigns and political parties is overly influenced by stakeholders are less able to fight corruption.
Countries with good index scores have stricter rules of campaign financing and widely use political consultations involving various actors (public, business, and etc.).
Countries where campaign financing regulations and laws are comprehensive and systematic have an average CPI score of 70, while countries, where such regulations and acts are either lacking or ineffectively applied, have an average of 34 and 35 points, respectively. Sixty percent of the states that have significantly improved their position in the CPI since 2012 have improved rules regarding the sources of election campaign financing.
Countries in which political consultations are held with participation of important actors (representatives of the public, business), on average, get 61 points. In contrast, countries with practically no political consultations, score on average only 32 points. In the vast majority of states, whose position in the CPI has significantly deteriorated since 2012, the most important representatives of politics, the public and business are not involved in the political decision-making process.
