The parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic has gone through two coalition formations and numerous legislative debates since being elected in October 2010. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan have had a year and a half to see the parliament at work and develop opinions about their performance. Sufficient time has also passed since the most recent coalition change for people to develop opinions about the role of the parliament and their future expectations for it.

In July 2012, Oxus International began conducting a series of country-wide focus groups to offer insight into public perceptions regarding the performance and expectations of the parliament. As a qualitative research tool, focus groups will demonstrate the depth and complexity of people’s views and add narrative detail to available quantitative measurements. This information can be vital to those examining the progress of the parliament and to the deputies themselves.

Focus groups were conducted in all seven oblasts of Kyrgyzstan, with special attention paid to Bishkek and Osh cities. The results of these focus groups could provide a useful benchmark for measuring citizens’ attitudes toward the ever-changing political atmosphere in Kyrgyzstan.

Oxus International’s researchers are currently reviewing and analyzing data collected from the focus groups and hope to make the final analysis public in the near future. Considering the recent collapse of the majority coalition in the Kyrgyz parliament, this project is now more relevant than ever for providing information on how citizens of Kyrgyzstan perceive the work of the government.