Kyrgyzstan Parliament names Sadyr Zhaparov, 51, as new Prime Minister

Sadyr

By Nurzhan Kasmalieva
Reporter, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek: Kyrgyzstan’s parliament on Saturday chose 51-year-old Sadyr Zhaparov as the country’s new prime minister.

The decision is expected to end the power vacuum in the Central Asian nation created by the protests started after the announcement of the parliamentary election results.

Holding an extraordinary session in the capital Bishkek, the parliament also approved Zhaparov’s program and the structure and composition of the government..

Zhaparov who was released earlier from prison amid protests calling to annul the results of the parliamentary elections was nominated for the post on October 6 by a parliamentary majority coalition.

He was serving time on charges of taking a hostage during the 2013 riots.

The parliament held the emergency session as the security situation in Kyrgyzstan improved. The state of emergency was declared in Bishkek on October 9 to re-establish order amid flare-ups of violence.

State of emergency measures included a curfew was imposed from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. from October 9 until October 21, with a special regime of entry and exit for citizens to and from the city, a ban for individual citizens to leave their house or place of temporary residence for a specified period, and checking documents in places of mass gathering of citizens.

The parliamentary elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on October 4.  However, following the results, supporters of political parties that failed to win seats, organized protests in Bishkek demanding the annulment of the polls and claiming gross violations.

Preliminary results showed that four of 16 parties that participated in elections crossed the 7 percent threshold to enter the parliament.

Parliament’s decisions to restore calm in Kyrgyzstan

The protesters seized the building where the parliament and President’s office are located. They also seized other buildings of state bodies and there was an attempt to seize the state-run Kabar News Agency.

The protesters also stormed and seized the State Committee for National Security and released several former officials who were imprisoned.

The country’s prime minister and parliament Speaker resigned on October 6 amid the protests.

Kyrgyzstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) on Tuesday October 7 annulled the results of the elections after clashes between police and protesters.

Now, the CEC has until November 6 to set the date of the elections.

One person was killed and more than 1,000 were injured in the mass riots in Bishkek.

Since its independence 29 years ago, this is the third time that people took to the streets to protest the political situations. Two presidents were ousted.