Anniversary of the Basic Law celebrated in Kyrgyzstan

On May 5, Kyrgyzstan celebrated the 32nd anniversary of its first Constitution, adopted after the collapse of the USSR and gaining independence. In his congratulatory message, President Sadyr Japarov called the Basic Law a reflection of the “worldview of the people.” However, over the years, the Constitution has undergone 12 revisions, sometimes radically changing the form of government from presidential to parliamentary and vice versa.

Today, a rigid presidential vertical has been established, but, as experts say, there is a nuance – for the first time in the history of Kyrgyzstan, power belongs to a tandem, although the Constitution does not provide for this. The Constitution of Kyrgyzstan has undergone numerous changes since its adoption in 1993, starting with the era of the first President, Askar Akayev, who had five editions of the Basic Law.

The subsequent regimes of Kurmanbek Bakiyev and Rosa Otunbayeva also made their own adjustments. Moreover, the Constitution was often changed under the pressure of public protests.

This history of constitutional reforms reflects the dynamic and often unstable political life of Kyrgyzstan. The country has experienced three coups in 2005, 2010 and 2020. Sadyr Japarov, who came to power in the wake of protests after the October 5, 2020 parliamentary elections, with the support of his friend, Kamchibek Tashiev, now head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), proposed a new draft Constitution. The document established a rigid vertical of presidential power. The new Basic Law was adopted in a referendum on April 11, 2021. 79.24% of those who came to the polling stations voted for him. The turnout was 37.07%.

“Despite the constitutional consolidation of presidential power, the Japarov–Tashiev tandem actually exists in Kyrgyzstan, which is a significant political phenomenon. Although there have been similar alliances in the country’s history before, for example, the tandem of Felix Kulov (head of government. – NG) and Kurmanbek Bakiyev (President. – “NG”) after the first revolution, however, the current situation is unique. The experience of the past, however, reminds us of the fragility of such alliances, as in the case of Kulov, whose position in tandem with Bakiyev weakened very quickly,” Igor Shestakov, director of the Oi Ordo Center for Expert Initiatives, explained in an interview with NG.

Moreover, as the expert noted, unlike in the past, the current tandem is not recognized by Parliament as unconstitutional. This suggests that in politicized Kyrgyzstan, the current government has the support of the population while maintaining a regional balance.

It can be assumed that this tandem will continue for the coming years, since Sadyr Japarov, according to the new Constitution, has the right to run for another presidential term. The elections will be held on January 24, 2027. However, the previous Constitution limited the ability of presidents to consolidate power in their hands and run for more than one term. According to Kamchibek Tashiyev, “in eight years, another person will appear in the country who will support the people like Sadyr Japarov.”

However, predicting the development of events in Kyrgyzstan is a thankless task, even though the situation in the republic is calm today. The opposition and the noisy civil society have disappeared from the political arena, some of them are under investigation, some are already serving prison sentences, and some are even abroad. The State Committee for National Security periodically reports on the prevention of coups and new arrests of their masterminds. There have been at least three such attempts in 2024-2025 alone. And if earlier dissatisfied citizens went to rallies and marches, today all their activity has moved to social networks.

“Only the high level of labor migration remains unchanged in the country. Despite the fact that citizens actively participate in referendums, they then “vote with their feet”, leaving for work, mainly in Russia. And while politicians are rewriting the Constitution, people themselves choose where to live and work,” Shestakov stressed.

This suggests that the socio-economic situation in Kyrgyzstan is far from stable. Alexander Kobrinsky, Director of the Agency for Ethnonational Strategies, Doctor of Historical Sciences, notes the prevailing stable impression that the country’s domestic policy is more controlled by the head of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev than the president. “Perhaps this impression is not entirely correct, but it is stable. Sadyr Japarov pays more attention to foreign policy… But in fact, domestic politics is far from the ideals laid down in the Constitution,” Kobrin explained to NG.

Another problem, according to the expert, is the transformation of the political system towards authoritarianism. Kyrgyzstan, previously considered a stronghold of democracy in Central Asia, is increasingly adopting the political practices of its authoritarian neighbors. The planned transition to a fully majoritarian system of parliamentary elections in 2026, according to Kobrinsky, will lead to full control of the president over the legislature.

Despite the constitutional consolidation of bilingualism and the official status of the Russian language, the adopted law on the protection of the state language actually infringes on the rights of Russian-speaking citizens, requiring state employees to fully speak Kyrgyz under threat of dismissal. “There is a question about the constitutionality of the parliament’s actions restricting the use of the Russian language,” the expert stressed. Writer and diplomat Chingiz Aitmatov has repeatedly said that Kyrgyz and Russian are two wings of the same bird.: “The state language is determined not by the will of politicians, but by a vital necessity.”