Campaigning in Kyrgyzstan's presidential race officially got under way on September 10 with a total of 13 candidates registered for the October 15 election.

The elections will test Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to democracy as the two previous regimes, excluding Roza Otunbayeva’s interim government in 2010, were toppled via violent revolutions. They brought down the administrations of Askar Akayev in 2005 and Kurmanbek Bakiyev in 2010.

Three of the candidates began to introduce voters to their programmes, including Respublika party candidate Omurbek Babanov and Ak-Shumkar (White Falcon) party candidate Temir Sariyev, both of whom are believed to be leading candidates.

Onuguu-Progress party’s Bakyt Torobayev has publically announced he would support referendums to decrease the number of lawmakers in parliament from 120 to 75, raising the question of whether Kyrgyzstan should continue as a parliamentary democracy or a presidential one.

Finally, the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP's) Sooronbay Jeebekov started meeting with voters outside of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Jeenbekov has received public support from the current Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, who has described Jeenbekov his “friend” and said that he hoped he “will carry on my affairs and finish what I have undertaken”. Moreover, when criticised for his open support of the SDP candidate, Atambayev warned his critics he would punish anyone who causes "disturbances" in trying to prevent Jeenbekov from winning the upcoming presidential election.

The Kyrgyz president is barred by the constitution from running for a second term.

Atambayev’s constitutional gamble has raised suspicions that he might be planning to essentially stay in power at least behind the scenes beyond his six-year term. While he has repeatedly stated his intention to pursue no further political office, his critics suspect he hopes to appoint his own loyal prime minister and possibly manipulate the election in favour of his own chosen presidential candidate.

Atambayev’s recent crackdowns on opposition members and media, including a number of arrests, raise concerns that Kyrgyzstan is moving away from the democratic path set out following the revolutions and may face another violent regime change, which some analysts say could potentially cement the country as a failed state.

The ex-Soviet country has fallen back into the category of consolidated authoritarian regime, according to Freedom House’s Nations in Transit 2017 report.