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Eurasia
April 27, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 20
Investigators quiz fired Kyrgyz PM amid presidential purge
Kanat Shaku in Almaty
Sapar Isakov, the former Kyrgyz prime minister who was fired just a week ago, found himself be- ing questioned on April 26 by the security services as part of a criminal investigation.
The past week has also seen much of the cabinet sacked and sweeping personnel changes across the government as the new presidential adminis- tration tried to shore up its authority.
The machinations in the capital Bishkek this week show how hard it is to establish a democracy in a post-Soviet republic. Kyrgyzstan has so often over recent years been hailed as “an island of democ- racy” in Central Asia, following its Tulip Revolution – one of a series of ‘colour revolutions’ – which ousted the corrupt regime of Askar Akayev in 2005. After an attempt at building a representa- tive government, the administration of president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in a second col- our revolution in 2010, after it proved to be equally corrupt as predecessor administrations.
Isakov was fired by President Sooranbai Jeen- bekov and the Kyrgyz parliament controlled by the ruling Jeenbekov’s Social Democratic Party (SDPK) on April 19 in an effort to make a clean break with the previous presidential administra- tion of Almazbek Atambayev. Clearly Kyrgyzstan’s democracy is still not working very well.
Officially, authorities said Isakov was being ques- tioned in connection with a power plant accident that left parts of Bishkek without heating in the winter, but observers believe the real reason is his closeness to former president Atambayev. He only
Sapar Isakov lasted just eight months as prime minister before being tripped up by Kyrgyzstan's neverending political machinations.
reluctantly stepped down earlier this year in line with a one-term constitutional limit on the presi- dency. Fears were raised even before the change of president that Atambayev would attempt to rule from the shadows.
Kyrgyz lawmakers on April 20 named Muk- hammedkaliy Abylgaziyev as their country's new prime minister following his nomination by the SDPK. He previously held the post of chief of staff in Jeenbekov's office. The new Abylgaziyev-led cabinet is a mix of newcomers and ministers from the dismissed government.
In what amounts to a purge of Atambayev-affiliat- ed politicians, Isakov was not the only one to lose his job.
Earlier, the president dismissed Prosecutor- General Indira Joldubayeva, widely criticised by activists for what they claim was the persecution of opposition politicians and independent media, and two high-profile security officials.
Isakov’s sacking crowned the purge because he was widely seen to be Atambayev’s stooge.
The firing of the Atambayev loyalists followed public criticism of Jeenbekov made by Atambayev on March 31, when he was re-elected as head of the SDPK.
Alarm bells sounded after Atambayev publicly said he wanted to "engage in politics again” in order to assist Jeenbekov and prepare the party for the 2020 parliamentary elections. While Atam-