Four years after the transition to a semi-parliamentarian system of governance, political parties in Kyrgyzstan have made certain steps towards strenghening their new role. However, they face a number of challenges when institutionalizing their activities in the regions. The study looks at pre-election party behavior, programmes and public attitudes towards parties and the multiparty system in the regions and gives recommendations how to further improve the situation as apathy and distrust manifested towards the national parliament and parties are a serious risk factor for the fragile political system.