On November 28, Kyrgyzstan returned to polls for the third time this year to vote for its new parliament. This election occurs at a time of tremendous economic and social distress, and amid a shifting geopolitical framework in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from nearby Afghanistan.

After a month of political upheaval in Kyrgyzstan and the collapse of now-former President Sooronbay Jeenbekov’s government, followed by the rise of Sadyr Japarov, a former convict, to the position of acting president, the country’s political landscape is changing fast.

After initially successful attempts to contain the the COVID-19 virus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are once again experiencing its rapid spread. What went wrong and what are the prospects for addressing the growing social, economic and humanitarian emergencies in the region?

Like the rest of the world, Central Asian states and societies are being stress-tested by the COVID-19 pandemic. Can they withstand the storm?