Bishkek: The parliament in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan voted by a large majority on Thursday to dissolve itself and hold early elections. The country’s state news agency Kabar reported that 84 out of a total of 90 members of parliament voted in favor of the legislative initiative. The early elections are scheduled for November 30.

According to Ghana News Agency, this move marks the first time in Kyrgyzstan’s recent history that members of parliament have made the decision to dissolve the existing parliament ahead of schedule. The need for early parliamentary elections was justified by the MPs, who noted that the previously scheduled date in November 2026 would have been only one and a half months before the presidential elections. They argued that this timing would have led to additional budgetary expenditure and organizational problems for the electoral commission.

Kyrgyzstan, with a population of around 7 million, has experienced several upheavals since gaining independence. The current parliament was elected in 2021 following a serious political crisis that provoked violent clashes and led to the resignation of then-president Sooronbai Jeenbekov. The strongest party in the parliament is the national conservative Ata-Shurt, which holds 15 seats. Experts accuse the country’s current president, Sadyr Japarov, of pursuing an increasingly authoritarian course.