Ex-Prisoner Becomes President of Kyrgyzstan

Sadyr Shaporov, who is imprisoned for taking hostages. In the middle of mass protests, he was elected president.

Three months after the violent transfer of power in the high mountain region of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, Sadyr Shaparov becomes the country’s new president. He won the early vote on Sunday after counting almost all ballot papers with 79 percent of the vote, as stated by Kyrgyz media. According to the Central Election Commission in the capital, turnout was 38 percent.

Shaparov had temporarily taken over the business of the president and the head of government within a short time. The 52-year-old forced President Sooronbay Dscheenbekov to resign in mid-October. The trigger was the parliamentary election overshadowed by allegations of fraud. After that, bloody mass protests broke out in the ex-Soviet republic on the border with China. Angry Kyrgyz people stormed government buildings and freed opposition members from prison, including Shaparov. g

He had been convicted of hostage-taking in the past

17 candidates ran for the presidential election. The closest challenger to Schaparov was the head of the Butun party, Adachan Madumarov, who, according to the results, had six percent of the vote. He announced that he would not recognize the election result. The voters also voted in a referendum on constitutional reform. Despite a low voter turnout of 34 percent, the authorities accepted it as valid. Accordingly, 81 percent of voters voted for more powers for the new president. The voters decided to reintroduce the presidential system that was abolished more than ten years ago.

Ex-Prisoner Becomes President of Kyrgyzstan