Irina Karamushkina, a senior member of the Social Democrats party and a former deputy of Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh, has been detained in Bishkek on suspicion of buying votes ahead of local elections on November 17. The Social Democrats are one of about 20 parties whose candidates are registered in the elections.
According to the press service of the city’s police department, on November 13 an audio recording surfaced on social media in Kyrgyzstan, in which the chief of staff of the Social Democrats party, identified as “I.K.”, allegedly discussed vote buying with a person named “D.C.” ahead of Sunday’s elections.
In response, Bishkek police investigators launched a criminal case under Article 196 of the Kyrgyz Criminal Code, addressing election bribery. Later, the police distributed an audio recording allegedly capturing a conversation between Karamushkina and Daniyar Cholponbaev — the party’s candidate for deputy — where they appear to discuss offering bribes for votes.
The investigation found that “T.R.”, a trustee of the Social Democrats, and “I.K.” were involved in voter bribery, offering 1,000 Kyrgyz som ($12) per vote. During a search of the party headquarters, authorities seized lists indicating payments of 15,000 to 30,000 som ($175 to $350) to over 40 individuals, along with 28,300 som ($330) in cash, believed to be intended for offering bribes to voters.
“T.R.” and “I.K.” were detained as suspects and are being held in a temporary detention facility. The investigation is ongoing.
On November 13, police and special forces raided the Social Democrats’ headquarters, evacuating everyone from the premises. Party leader Temirlan Sultanbekov was taken in for questioning, and Karamushkina’s residence was also searched as part of the investigation.
