Kyrgyz deputy speaker calls for new nomination of prime minister fearing more unrest
Oct 10, 2020
Bishkek [Kyrgyzstan], October 10 (ANI/Sputnik) - Aida Kasymalieva, the Deputy Speaker of the Kyrgyz parliament, said on Saturday that it was necessary to nominate a new candidate for the post of Prime Minister as the current pick, Sadyr Japarov, would be unable to unite the country and end turmoil.
Japarov was nominated to the post on Tuesday as unrest swept the country following a disputed general election. The opposition is not united behind Japarov and large swathes of the Kyrgyz public and opposition politicians have rejected his nomination.
"Dear deputies, I propose to the majority coalition of the Jogorku Kenesh [parliament] to reconsider their previous decision and to nominate a new candidate for the post of the prime minister of the Kyrgyz Republic," she wrote on her Facebook page.
According to her, the lawmakers nominated Japarov believing it would return calm to the country.
"We believed that Sadyr Japarov would become the person who would unite different political forces ... unfortunately, the events of the last few days have demonstrated that, regardless of his personal qualities and merits, the situation at the moment has developed in such a way that a significant part of society will simply refuse to accept him and instead of uniting the whole country, on the contrary, we will only increase the split and disagreement," Kasymalieva explained.
She went on to express her concern that Japarov's appointment would cause further upheavals in the Kyrgyz society.
Mass protests erupted in the former Soviet Central Asian republic on Monday in response to what many considered to be an unfair general election. Protesters, led by supporters of the parties that failed to pass the threshold for winning seats in the parliament, clashed with law enforcement officers and stormed the parliament building, which also serves as the office of the Kyrgyz President.
Unlike many neighboring countries, Kyrgyzstan's central authority is rarely strong enough to counteract the deep-rooted tribal belongs of its citizens, which translates into a fractious political landscape.
In a sign of a split in their ranks, some Kyrgyz opposition parties have refused to recognize Japarov. The dissenters had formed an opposition council, called for the president's impeachment and the parliament's dissolution, and vowed to elect another Prime Minister.
The unrest in Kyrgyzstan has left one person killed and more than 1,000 people injured. (ANI/Sputnik)
