The Errant Æsthete

Friends, Swedish engineers think Santa Claus should move to Kyrgyzstan (pronounced “Kier-gee-stan”). Why? Because living in the former Soviet Socialist Republic would help Santa optimize his delivery of presents on Christmas Eve. Forget the North Pole, the Swedes say. Starting from there subjects Santa to time-consuming detours and Rudolph and the boys to undue strain.

Factoring in both geography and demography (including the global distribution of children), the Swedes say Santa should nestle his elves between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China–in mountainous Kyrgyzstan. Its proximity to both China and India, the world’s most populous countries, help make it an ideal spot for Santa’s workshop.

On Second Thought . . .

Yet Kyrgyzstan’s political problems might well keep St. Nick away from the Central Asian nation. Rising from the ashes of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan once looked poised to become a beacon of republican government. But the days of heady democratic ideals didn’t last. Kyrgyzstan suffered a sharp economic decline in the 1990s. Poverty and corruption were widespread, skilled workers left home, and government forces clashed with Islamic militants.

Through it all, the first president, Askar Akayev, remained president–even after he exceeded the constitutional maximum of two five-year terms. Once hailed as a reformer, he began cracking down on rivals and the press. He claimed to be countering communists and religious extremists. But more and more of Kyrgyzstan’s 5.2 million people came to see the president himself as the problem.

Flowers for Santa?

During 2005’s “Tulip Revolution,” protesters stormed the presidential mansion in the capital, Bishkek. Akayev fled the country, and his successor, current president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was promptly elected. Kyrgyzstan’s political problems didn’t end there, though. Opposition leaders soon claimed Bakiyev was following in Akayev’s footsteps–reneging on promises to share power with parliament and failing to clean up rampant corruption.

In October, President Bakiyev dissolved parliament and called snap elections, held this week under new rules. Result: the president’s party now looks set to dominate parliament. International observers called the elections a “missed opportunity” and a case of “backsliding.” A local citizen’s group simply declared them invalid. Meanwhile, protesters in Bishkek gathered under banners that read “I Don’t Believe.” Maybe it’s not an ideal spot for Santa after all. [Link]