Valentine, UVSC v.p. going to Kyrgyzstan

OREM — Utah Senate President John Valentine will get a front-row seat to a power struggle between the president and parliament in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.

Valentine, R-Orem, is traveling to the Asian country with Rusty Butler, an international affairs vice president at Utah Valley State College, and Carol Williams, a Democrat in the Montana Senate, Oct. 1-5.

The U.S. delegation and their spouses will meet with the country's president, vice president, foreign and education ministers, and some local governors, members of parliament and university administrators.

Butler said that Kyrgyzstan, like many former Soviet countries, is an emerging democracy, meaning that society is moving in the direction of fair elections, free press and other institutions associated with democracies.

Currently, the president seeks more power and the parliament is opposing it. Other former Soviet republics have experienced a similar struggle and have altered their constitutions to more clearly define the separation of powers.

"It will be interesting because we're being hosted by the speaker of the parliament and we'll be meeting with a lot of members of parliament," Butler said. "But we'll also be meeting with people in the executive branch."

One purpose of the trip is to discuss opportunities for education for lawmakers in both countries.

"We'll probably have parliamentarians come here as well as parliamentarians from here go over there," Butler said.

Valentine is in Istanbul, Turkey, at a conference for state senators and was unavailable for interviews. He will travel from Turkey to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital.

"There is no cost for the state for his trip to Istanbul or his trip to Kyrgyzstan," said Ric Cantrell, chief deputy of the Senate.

The trip to Istanbul was paid for by the senators conference. Valentine is paying for the leg of the trip to and from Kyrgyzstan.

Butler's trip is paid for by private donors to UVSC.

The relationship between UVSC and Kyrgyzstan began in 1999. Most recently, UVSC hosted 15 judges from Kyrgyzstan to educate them about how the United States seeks "rule by law," or the idea that the law is codified and not arbitrary or from man.

Although the United States has a longer history with democracy than Kyrgyzstan, Butler believes the delegation next week will have a lot to learn.

"They have been through experiences that we have not been through for a couple of centuries," Butler said. "The United States when it was first founded went through horrible growing pains, as you know, and it kept up for decades. And they're going through the same things right now. I think there are many things to learn from these emerging democracies as they find their ways."

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com