Kyrgyzstan holds snap parliamentary vote as opposition faces crackdown

Polls opened in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan on Sunday in a snap parliamentary election amid the arrests of opposition figures and the closure of independent media outlets.

It is expected to cement the grip of President Sadyr Zhaparov, who has sought to suppress dissent in what was once Central Asia’s most democratic country.

The vote is being held a year earlier than scheduled, a move that officials have justified by arguing that the parliamentary elections would otherwise fall too close to the 2027 presidential elections.

There have also been sweeping changes to Kyrgyzstan’s electoral system, with 30 constituencies electing three lawmakers each. According to the Central Election Commission, 467 candidates are vying for the 90 seats in Kyrgyzstan’s one-chamber parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh. There’s also a gender quota system that requires at least one female lawmaker from each district.

Analysts say candidates loyal to Zhaparov are likely to succeed thanks to the rapidly growing economy over which the Kyrgyz leader presides, fueled in part by Kyrgyzstan’s role in circumventing sanctions against Russia.

Kyrgyzstan, one of the poorest countries to emerge from the former Soviet Union, is a member of Russia-dominated economic and security alliances, hosts a Russian air base and depends on Moscow’s economic support. It was formerly the site of a U.S. air base that was used in the war in Afghanistan.

But Zhaparov has also sought to cement his position by cracking down on potential rivals.

“The suppression of the opposition and independent media, the growing economy, and Russia’s support guarantee the current ruling elite’s hold on power,” Emil Juraev, an independent analyst in Bishkek, told the Associated Press. “There is virtually no opposition participating in the elections. The elections will be very predictable and, as some have already described, dull.”

In the week before the elections, Kyrgyz authorities launched a wave of arrests, searches, and interrogations against opposition figures and journalists, a move that has been described by critics as politically motivated.

Many of those targeted have been accused of calling for “mass unrest.” Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has reported the arrest of at least 10 opposition figures.

“There will be no coups,” Zhaparov, who came to power in 2020 after his predecessor was ousted by a popular uprising sparked by a contentious parliamentary election, declared in his pre-election address. “From now on, you will only see coups in your dreams.”

Some of those targeted are allies of former President Almazbek Atambayev, who ruled Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017 and now lives in Spain. Atambayev’s son was detained, and his wife was summoned for questioning.

Journalists have also been under attack. In late October, a Kyrgyz court labeled three of the country’s major independent media outlets — Kloop, Temirov Live and AitAit Dese — as “extremist organizations,” the first such ruling in the country’s history.

The decision bans access to the outlets’ websites in Kyrgyzstan, as well as activity “under the direction or with the participation” of journalists Bolot Temirov and Rinat Tuhvatshin, who were at the helm of Temirov Live and Kloop, respectively.

This decision follows a new media law signed by Zhaparov in August, which requires all media outlets, including online platforms, to register with the authorities.

According to Human Rights Watch, “the Kyrgyz government has intimidated and silenced journalists, media outlets, human rights defenders and government critics. New laws curtail the rights of citizens to information.”

Although the U.S. State Department has classified an array of “significant human rights issues” in Kyrgyzstan, in November U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of five Central Asian countries, including Zhaparov, at the White House. During the summit, the leaders discussed access to the region’s rich mineral resources, where China and Russia are already actively pursuing their interests.

Kyrgyzstan’s economy is experiencing rapid growth, allowing the country’s president to contain popular discontent. Kyrgyzstan’s GDP has grown for the fourth consecutive year, rising by 10% from January to September this year, according to a report from the State Statistics Committee.

Analysts believe that the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan are a rehearsal for the presidential election, already scheduled for January 2027, and that control over the new parliament will allow incumbent Zhaparov to prepare for the presidential campaign.

“When we talk about the president, we are, of course, talking about a unified power structure, the ruling elite of Kyrgyzstan. And for this group, parliament will not just be a majority; the entire parliament will support the president and his policies,” Juraev told the AP.

A voter holds a ballot during the parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tash-Dobo, south of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)

In this photo provided by Kyrgyzstan's Presidential Press Office, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his wife Aigul Japarova vote during the parliamentary elections at a polling station, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (Sultan Dosaliev,Kyrgyzstan's Presidential Press Office via AP)

Members of the election commission count ballots at a polling station after the parliamentary elections in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)

A voter holds his ballot during the parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tash-Dobo, south of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)

A Kyrgyz Army soldier casts his ballot during the parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tash-Dobo, 19 km (11 miles) south of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Vladimir Voronin)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New DNA testing has definitively linked the unsolved death of a Utah teenager in 1974 to the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy, the local sheriff’s office said Wednesday.

Laura Ann Aime, 17, went missing Halloween night 51 years ago after she left a party alone to go to a convenience store. About a month later, her body was found on the side of a highway in American Fork Canyon. She was bound, beaten and without clothing. Authorities said she had likely been kept alive for several days after her abduction.

Investigators long suspected that Bundy was responsible — police said he verbally acknowledged his culpability before his execution in Florida in 1989 — but the case remained open until they could be certain.

“It's really quite amazing that people are even still interested in Laura's case,” her sister, Michelle Impala, said at a news conference Wednesday. “Know I speak for my family when I thank you, and thank you media, too, for even caring.”

Bundy was one of the nation’s most prolific serial killers, with at least 30 women and girls’ deaths linked to him in several states in the 1970s. His murders — which occurred in sorority houses, parks and elsewhere — set the nation on edge. Bundy’s arrest drew widespread fascination, in part because many considered him to be charming and handsome.

Investigators had carefully preserved the evidence from Aime’s case, and forensic analysts were able to identify portions that seemed most likely to have usable DNA samples, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said.

The state crime lab got new technology in 2023 that allows investigators to extract DNA from samples even if they are small, degraded from age or contain DNA from multiple people, he said. That technology allowed them to identify a single male DNA profile, which they submitted to a national law enforcement database.

Bundy’s DNA was a match, Mason said.

That profile can now be used by other law enforcement agencies who have long suspected Bundy of additional unsolved killings, he said, adding that more families could get similar closure.

“Laura Aime is the quintessential daughter of Utah County,” Sgt. Mike Reynolds said. “We felt the pain the family feels when she was taken. We felt the pain that you felt this whole entire time, and we’ve had the desire to deliver to you some type of healing.”

Impala was only 12 when her older sister died. Even with a five-year age gap, she said they were very close and did everything together. They shared a bedroom on the family's farm in Fairview, Utah, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Provo.

“I'm a little kid just following her around, but we had a lot in common," Impala said.

Impala reminisced about about riding horses with her sister and watching Aime feed her horse licorice nibs.

“When she died, he would not eat those anymore,” she said.

It’s not known when Bundy first began his attacks, but by 1974, young women — many of them college students — began disappearing in Washington state. Authorities were still investigating those cases when Bundy moved to Salt Lake City and began killing people in Utah, Idaho and Colorado.

At the time of Aime’s killing, Bundy was studying law at the University of Utah.

In August 1975, he was arrested for the first time in connection with the attacks. Police pulled him over and found incriminating items in his vehicle including rope, handcuffs and a ski mask.

He was found guilty the following year of kidnapping and assaulting a teen in Utah who had managed to get away. Bundy was sentenced to 15 years in prison for that crime, and while imprisoned he was charged in connection with the earlier death of a nursing student.

He was brought to Aspen, Colorado, for a hearing in that case in 1977, and he escaped custody by climbing out a second-story courthouse window when he was left alone for a time. He was caught after about a week, but escaped again six months later by breaking through the ceiling of a jail.

Bundy fled across the country, eventually making his way to Tallahassee, Florida. On Jan. 15, 1977, he entered the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University, bludgeoning two women to death with a large branch and leaving two more badly injured. He then went to another house nearby, badly injuring another woman.

Less than a month later, he abducted, sexually assaulted and killed a 12-year-old girl in Lake City, Florida. Kimberly Leach was believed to be his last victim before he was arrested again and executed years later.

Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.

Brent Bullock, center left, who led investigations at the Utah County Attorney's Office around the time of Laura Ann Aime's murder, shakes hands with Michelle Impala, Aime's younger sister, after a news conference at the Utah County Sheriff's Office in Spanish Fork, Utah, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, announcing definitive evidence linking Ted Bundy to Aime's murder. (Isaac Hale/The Deseret News via AP)

Michelle Impala, right, sister of Laura Ann Aime, speaks, joined by Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith, during a news conference announcing that definitive evidence has linked Ted Bundy to Aime's murder, at the Utah County Sheriff's Office, in Spanish Fork, Utah, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Isaac Hale/The Deseret News via AP)

Utah County Sheriff's Deputy Jake Hall, lead detective on the case, looks to other family members as he hugs Tommi Aime, youngest sister of Laura Ann Aime, after announcing that definitive evidence has linked Ted Bundy to Laura's murder at a news conference at the Utah County Sheriff's Office, in Spanish Fork, Utah, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Isaac Hale/The Deseret News via AP)

FILE - Mourners say goodbye to Kimberly Leach at her funeral, April 13, 1978, in Lake City, Fla. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Accused murderer Ted Bundy attends the second day of jury selection in his murder trial, June 27, 1979, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo,File)

FILE - Accused murderer Ted Bundy leans back in his chair as trial judge Edward Cowart speaks, in Tallahassee, Fla., April 26, 1979. (AP Photo/Mark Foley, File)