Last elected in 2010, months after revolution upset the nation and unseated then-President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the Kyrgyz parliament is a centerpiece of Kyrgyzstan’s democracy–arguably the closest to functional in the region. The 14 parties that are vying for seats include a number of odd marriages–prompted by the rules of the game. On the surface, the intention is legitimate–that political parties be concerned with the interests of the whole nation. Though the maximum number of seats any one party can earn is 65, no party is expected to get that close–even the Social Democratic Party (SDPK), the president’s party, only had 26 seats in the last parliament. Then the coalition building will begin, and surely there will be more odd political marriages.