The Kyrgyz election campaign has once again been hit by controversy this week with a leading opposition candidate barred from standing because he posted a copy of the ballot card on his website. According to the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, TV stations, including the state broadcaster, have been accused of pricing less well-off parties out of the running because of the high cost of election advert slots.
Islam Karimov’s bid to secure a third term in the Uzbek presidential election is the subject of a feature on Russia Profile, which picks out some of the regime’s recent abuses. BBC news highlights the death, apparently after being tortured, of a third prison inmate while the New York times revisits Alisher Saipov’s assassination in Kyrgyzstan, pointing the finger at the Uzbek authorities. New Consumer summarises an Environmental Justice Foundation report which flags Uzbekistan up as using child labour in its cotton harvest.
Turkmenistan’s president Berdymukhammedov met his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, on Thursday at the start of a state visit widely seen as an opportunity to discuss proposals for a gas pipeline routed through Iran. Earlier in the week it emerged that French company Total had been in discussions with the president over possible investment in the country. But in a timely article on EurasiaNet, Aisha Berdyeva wonders how long Ashgabat will be able to keep on good terms with all of those courting it.
Amid warnings that Gazprom will pass central Asian price hikes on to European consumers, Kazakhstan showed no sign of currying favour with either customers or investors. The Kazakh prime minister insisted it had the right to intervene in major energy projects, while a finance minister warned of an oil tax crackdown, according to the Financial Times.
Tajikistan, which is to receive OSCE help on border security, celebrated a Japanese pledge to provide aid to bolster various infrastructure projects. Chinese Zijin mining group is set to invest $100m in developing gold mines in the country over the next three years.
Stay tuned to Central Asia Now for weekly news digests. Keep an eye out for analysis slots by regional experts.
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