May 13, 2021
Your weekly roundup of news and analysis of elections in Eurasia, usually posted on Thursdays and occasionally updated throughout the week. For a full electoral calendar and interactive map, click here.
A trolley in Bălți, Moldova’s second-largest city. Moldova holds snap elections in July. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Нефеденков Павел (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Armenia Snap Parliamentary Elections: June 20, 2021
Armenia is holding snap parliamentary elections on June 20 in an effort to defuse a political crisis following a defeat in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
RFE/RL (May 10, 2021): Armenia’s Parliament Dissolves In Final Step Toward Early Elections
Emil Avdaliani, Modern Diplomacy (May 7, 2021): Armenia After the Parliamentary Elections
Moldova Snap Parliamentary Elections: July 11, 2021
Moldova is holding snap parliamentary elections on July 11, which pro-Europe center-right president Maia Sandu had been trying to call for months. Sandu trounced pro-Kremlin leftist Igor Dodon, who had been the incumbent, in the November 2020 presidential election However, no party currently has a clear majority in parliament (and Sandu’s allies are outnumbered by pro-Russian parties). The resulting political instability was reaching crisis levels. More
Orlando Crowcroft, Euronews (May 10, 2021): In Moldova, a snap election could help Maia Sandu finish what she started
Yuri Panchenko, Institute for War and Peace Reporting (May 10, 2021): Ukrainian Judge’s Kidnapping May Have Political Impact in Moldova
Russia Parliamentary Elections: By September 19, 2021
Russia is due to hold parliamentary elections by September 19, 2021. Russian elections are neither free nor fair. Nonetheless, the opposition has been making some gains in recent regional elections, helped by opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s “Smart Vote,” a campaign of tactical voting, in which they developed a list of candidates the best chance of beating Vladimir Putin’s United Russia. Consequently, the Kremlin has launched a brutal crackdown on the opposition, including imprisoning Navalny. More
Eva Hartog, Politico (May 12, 2021): In purging Russia of Navalny, the Kremlin is humming a Soviet tune
Olafimihan Oshin, The Hill (May 12, 2021): Former Russian mayor who encouraged pro-Navalny protests is jailed
Meduza (May 12, 2021): Moscow court fines Telegram for refusing to remove posts about pro-Navalny protests
Moscow Times (May 11, 2021): Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Movement Disputes Georgia Relocation Reports
BBC (May 8, 2021): Amnesty apologises to Alexei Navalny over ‘prisoner of conscience’ status
Georgia Local Elections: October 2021 (due)
Georgia is due to hold local elections in October 2021. These follow last year’s parliamentary elections, which took place in a climate of political tension, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic fallout. Tensions have exploded into a full-blown political crisis. Although the crisis has eased, tensions remain. More
AFP (May 10, 2021): Georgia frees jailed opposition leader after EU posts bail
Elene Panchulidze and Richard Youngs, Carnegie Europe (May 10, 2021): Defusing Georgia’s Political Crisis: An EU Foreign Policy Success?
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Elections Take 2: Fall 2021 (proposed)
Kyrgyzstan’s leader has proposed re-running the parliamentary elections that took place in October 2020. Those elections and allegations of fraud led to political turmoil, followed by a snap presidential election in January 2021 and a constitutional referendum (alongside local elections) in April 2021. The new constitution, which passed, grants the president vastly expanded powers. Its critics have dubbed it the “Khanstitution.” The political climate was tense heading into the October 2020 parliamentary elections. It subsequently exploded following said elections. More
Eurasianet (May 6, 2021): Kyrgyzstan: Spotlight on populist security chief after Tajikistan violence
Past Eurasia Elections
Belarus Presidential Election: August 9, 2020
Belarus held a presidential election on August 9, 2020. In a vote widely deemed not free and not fair, incumbent Alexander Lukashenko declared victory. However, the opposition declared that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had in fact won. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets in protest to demand free and fair elections, even in the face of assault and arrest by security forces. Protests continue. More
Grigory Ioffe, Jamestown Foundation (May 12, 2021): Going Over the Top in and Around Belarus
Robin Emmott, Reuters (May 10, 2021): EU prepares new round of Belarus sanctions from June, diplomats say
Tadeusz Iwański, New Eastern Europe (May 10, 2021): The father that doesn’t want to leave: Between authoritarian violence and social anger in Belarus
Jenni Fink, Newsweek (May 7, 2021): Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Agrees to Early Election if U.S. Will Also Hold One
Eurasia Elections in 2021 and 2022
Armenia Snap Parliamentary Elections: June 20, 2021
Russia Parliamentary Elections: By September 19, 2021
Georgia Local Elections: October 2021 (due)
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Elections Take 2: Fall 2021 (expected)
Uzbekistan Presidential Election: October 24, 2021
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Eurasia This Week: May 13, 2021
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Last Updated: May 25, 2021 by 21votes
May 13, 2021
Your weekly roundup of news and analysis of elections in Eurasia, usually posted on Thursdays and occasionally updated throughout the week. For a full electoral calendar and interactive map, click here.
Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Armenia Snap Parliamentary Elections: June 20, 2021
Armenia is holding snap parliamentary elections on June 20 in an effort to defuse a political crisis following a defeat in the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
RFE/RL (May 10, 2021): Armenia’s Parliament Dissolves In Final Step Toward Early Elections
Emil Avdaliani, Modern Diplomacy (May 7, 2021): Armenia After the Parliamentary Elections
Moldova Snap Parliamentary Elections: July 11, 2021
Moldova is holding snap parliamentary elections on July 11, which pro-Europe center-right president Maia Sandu had been trying to call for months. Sandu trounced pro-Kremlin leftist Igor Dodon, who had been the incumbent, in the November 2020 presidential election However, no party currently has a clear majority in parliament (and Sandu’s allies are outnumbered by pro-Russian parties). The resulting political instability was reaching crisis levels. More
Orlando Crowcroft, Euronews (May 10, 2021): In Moldova, a snap election could help Maia Sandu finish what she started
Yuri Panchenko, Institute for War and Peace Reporting (May 10, 2021): Ukrainian Judge’s Kidnapping May Have Political Impact in Moldova
Russia Parliamentary Elections: By September 19, 2021
Russia is due to hold parliamentary elections by September 19, 2021. Russian elections are neither free nor fair. Nonetheless, the opposition has been making some gains in recent regional elections, helped by opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s “Smart Vote,” a campaign of tactical voting, in which they developed a list of candidates the best chance of beating Vladimir Putin’s United Russia. Consequently, the Kremlin has launched a brutal crackdown on the opposition, including imprisoning Navalny. More
Eva Hartog, Politico (May 12, 2021): In purging Russia of Navalny, the Kremlin is humming a Soviet tune
Olafimihan Oshin, The Hill (May 12, 2021): Former Russian mayor who encouraged pro-Navalny protests is jailed
Meduza (May 12, 2021): Moscow court fines Telegram for refusing to remove posts about pro-Navalny protests
Moscow Times (May 11, 2021): Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Movement Disputes Georgia Relocation Reports
BBC (May 8, 2021): Amnesty apologises to Alexei Navalny over ‘prisoner of conscience’ status
Georgia Local Elections: October 2021 (due)
Georgia is due to hold local elections in October 2021. These follow last year’s parliamentary elections, which took place in a climate of political tension, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic fallout. Tensions have exploded into a full-blown political crisis. Although the crisis has eased, tensions remain. More
AFP (May 10, 2021): Georgia frees jailed opposition leader after EU posts bail
Elene Panchulidze and Richard Youngs, Carnegie Europe (May 10, 2021): Defusing Georgia’s Political Crisis: An EU Foreign Policy Success?
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Elections Take 2: Fall 2021 (proposed)
Kyrgyzstan’s leader has proposed re-running the parliamentary elections that took place in October 2020. Those elections and allegations of fraud led to political turmoil, followed by a snap presidential election in January 2021 and a constitutional referendum (alongside local elections) in April 2021. The new constitution, which passed, grants the president vastly expanded powers. Its critics have dubbed it the “Khanstitution.” The political climate was tense heading into the October 2020 parliamentary elections. It subsequently exploded following said elections. More
Eurasianet (May 6, 2021): Kyrgyzstan: Spotlight on populist security chief after Tajikistan violence
Past Eurasia Elections
Belarus Presidential Election: August 9, 2020
Belarus held a presidential election on August 9, 2020. In a vote widely deemed not free and not fair, incumbent Alexander Lukashenko declared victory. However, the opposition declared that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had in fact won. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets in protest to demand free and fair elections, even in the face of assault and arrest by security forces. Protests continue. More
Grigory Ioffe, Jamestown Foundation (May 12, 2021): Going Over the Top in and Around Belarus
Robin Emmott, Reuters (May 10, 2021): EU prepares new round of Belarus sanctions from June, diplomats say
Tadeusz Iwański, New Eastern Europe (May 10, 2021): The father that doesn’t want to leave: Between authoritarian violence and social anger in Belarus
Jenni Fink, Newsweek (May 7, 2021): Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Agrees to Early Election if U.S. Will Also Hold One
Eurasia Elections in 2021 and 2022
Armenia Snap Parliamentary Elections: June 20, 2021
Russia Parliamentary Elections: By September 19, 2021
Georgia Local Elections: October 2021 (due)
Kyrgyzstan Parliamentary Elections Take 2: Fall 2021 (expected)
Uzbekistan Presidential Election: October 24, 2021
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Category: This Week Tags: Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia