Digital Political Communication and Public Relations in the Modernization of Political Institutions in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

The article examines political modernization in Kyrgyzstan within the context of globalization and domestic turbulence, emphasizing digital political communication and public relations as key mechanisms shaping institutional development. It explores how external influences, national elite motivations, and market pressures affect the balance between state interests and citizens’ rights. The study employs a dialectical approach, document and media content analysis, comparative methods, and the theoretical framework of modernization, interpreted through the lens of political communication and public relations. Digitalization is analyzed as part of a broader state transformation strategy that both increases dependency on global technological centers and provides tools for transparency and accountability. Findings identify institutional and social factors hindering modernization, including weak professional PR structures, uneven adoption of digital governance tools, and persistent clientelistic and clan-based mechanisms. These factors create a contradictory character of digital political modernization, intensify public distrust, and fuel political polarization. The study concludes that while digital communication and PR practices can facilitate modernization and citizen engagement, their current deployment often reinforces existing power imbalances and limits space for genuine public discourse, underscoring the need for inclusive, transparent, and accountable communication strategies