Developments in Kyrgyzstan: President Resigns, Presidential Election Rescheduled

Kyrgyzstan’s Central Election Commission (BShK) announced on October 24 that it would postpone the country’s presidential election until January 10. The decision, made at an election commission session in the capital of Bishkek, also named the recently-appointed Sadyr Japarov to serve as acting president and prime minister until next year’s election.

The electoral commission’s decision marks the latest development in a period of political turmoil that has gripped the country since the October 4 parliamentary elections that many considered fraudulent. The disputed election result immediately sparked protests that rocked the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. Under tremendous pressure, Kyrgyz electoral authorities quickly annulled the results of the elections, though this measure failed to quell the unrest.

Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, in a desperate attempt to control the situation, declared a stage of emergency and sent the military into Bishkek to clear the protestors. Despite the military’s forceful response, which injured over 1000, the unrest persisted and Jeenbekov resigned on October 15, claiming he “did not want to go down in the history of Kyrgyzstan as a president who allowed bloodshed and shooting on its people.”

Sadyr Japarov, a nationalist politician released from jail following the annulment of the parliamentary election results, replaced Jeenbekov as president and prime minister. Japarov will serve as Kyrgyzstan’s acting leader for 3 months until the January 10 election. Wasting no time, the prisoner-turned-prime minister and president has reshaped Kyrgyz politics to his liking, appointing new officials, planning for parliamentary and presidential elections, and passing constitutional changes that would devolve parliamentary power to the president.

While the Kyrgyz constitution bars an interim president from declaring their candidacy in a presidential election, Japarov has indicated that he will run pending constitutional amendments. In preparation for Japarov’s inclusion in the presidential selection process, the Kyrgyz parliament has already begun planning changes to presidential and parliamentary election law to accommodate their interim leader. Japarov has expressed his tacit support for the changes, stating “If such amendments allow me to take in the election, I will go for it. But it is early to talk about it now. The decision on that is pending.”

The unrest in Kyrgyzstan seems to have calmed for now. Thus far, Japarov’s maneuvers to strengthen his grip on power and clear a path for his entry into next year’s presidential election have not received any of the sort of resistance that caused his predecessor Jeenbekov to step down. In the countdown to January 10, 2021, while Japarov will certainly look to transform himself into a viable presidential candidate, he will likely also hold a cautious eye on the past as the third Kyrgyz president to replace a successor brought down by popular protests since 2005.