Kyrgyzstan began voting Sunday in a snap parliamentary election that featured no formal parties or opposition and that critics say will cement the power of President Sadyr Japarov.

The landlocked Central Asian country was once seen as the most democratic in the region, but Japarov has been criticised for backsliding since he came to power after a revolution in 2020.

Polling stations opened at 8 am local time (0200 GMT), according to an AFP reporter.

Surrounded by highly authoritarian regimes, Kyrgyzstan has gone through three revolutions -- 2005, 2010 and 2020 -- since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Japarov is seeking to end that cycle by boosting his control over politics and society.

"From now on, you will only see coups in your dreams," he said in early November. He boasted he w

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