President of Kyrgyzstan

President of Kyrgyz Republic
Presidential Standard
Incumbent Almazbek Atambayev since 1 December 2011
Residence	White House
Appointer	Direct election
Term length	One six-year term
Inaugural holder	Askar Akayev
Formation	27 October 1990
Website	President of Kyrgyz Republic

The President of Kyrgyzstan is the head of state and the highest official of Kyrgyzstan. The President, according to the constitution, "is the symbol of the unity of people and state power, and is the guarantor of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, and of an individual and citizen." The President is directly elected for no more than one six-year term by the Kyrgyz electorate. The office of President was established in 1990 replacing the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet that existed, in different forms, from 1927 whilst the country was known as the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic.

The first popularly-elected office-holder was Askar Akayev, who served from October, 1990 until March 24, 2005. In July 2005, Kurmanbek Bakiyev was elected. He was re-elected in 2009, but large riots in April 2010 forced him to resign and flee the country. Roza Otunbayeva was selected in April 2010 to head the interim government. She was officially inaugurated on July 3, 2010 as President for a limited term, until elections could be organised. Her successor, Almazbek Atambayev, was elected in the Kyrgyzstani presidential election, 2011 and took over on 1 December 2011.

Election

Qualifications

The office of President is open to all citizens of Kyrgyzstan, who are no younger than 35 years of age, and no older than 65 years of age. A candidate must have a command of the state language, and have resided in the Republic for no less than 15 years before the nomination of his or her candidacy for the position. The President cannot be a deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament), occupy other positions, or carry out entrepreneurial activities, and must suspend activity in political parties and organizations for their period in office.

On taking office the President must take the following oath, stipulated by Article 45 of the constitution, within 30 days of election before the assembled members of the legislative chamber:

“

"I, ..., assuming the office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, before my People and the Sacred homeland Ala-Too do swear: to sacredly observe and defend the Constitution and laws of the Kyrgyz Republic; to defend the sovereignty and independence of the Kyrgyz State; to respect and guarantee the rights and freedoms of all citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic; with honor and tirelessly to perform the great responsibility of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic entrusted to me by the confidence of all the People!".[1]

”

Electoral Law

The President is elected by the citizens of Kyrgyzstan by a majority of votes cast. These elections are held on the basis of universal suffrage, and by secret ballot. To become a candidate a person must obtain the signatures of fifty thousand registered voters.

For an election to be considered valid the turnout must not be lower than fifty percent. Similarly, if a candidate wins the backing of fifty percent of the voters who participated they are the winner. Should no candidate win an outright majority in the first round, the two candidates with the highest number of votes face each other in a second ballot.

Duties and functions

The head of state holds significant power as provided for in the constitution. This states that they have the authority to:

• Appoint the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan and other members of government
• Present candidates to Parliament for positions within the Supreme Court
• Direct foreign policy
• Present and sign law
• Announce all elections and enact decrees
• Be Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

Impeachment

The President may be dismissed from office by Parliament only on the basis of a charge made by the Legislative Assembly of state treason or another grievous crime supported by a ruling of the Constitutional Court. Such a decision requires the support of two-thirds of the Jogorku Kenesh who are immediately dismissed should the President be found innocent.

Succession

If the President becomes unable to carry out their duties for reasons such as death, illness or impeachment, the Prime Minister shall carry out their duties until the election of a new Head of State. This must take place within three months of the termination of their Presidency.

To date, Kyrgyzstan knew no peaceful transition of power from president to president. Both Askar Akayev and Kurmanbek Bakiev were forced to leave their chairs by a civil unrest.

List of Presidents of Kyrgyzstan

The first column consecutively numbers the individuals who have served as president, while the second column consecutively numbers the Presidential terms or administrations.

I#	A#	Name	Picture	Took office	Left office	Political party
1	1. 1991	Askar Akayev Аскар Акаев		27 October 1990	29 October 1995	Independent
	2 1995			29 October 1995	29 October 2000
	3. 2000			29 October 2000	24 March 2005 (ousted)
—		Ishenbai Kadyrbekov Ишенбай Кадырбеков (Acting)		24 March 2005	25 March 2005	Independent
—		Kurmanbek Bakiyev Курманбек Бакиев		25 March 2005	14 August 2005	People's Movement of Kyrgyzstan
2	4. 2005			14 August 2005	15 October 2007
(2)				15 October 2007	23 July 2009	Ak Jol
	5. 2009			23 July 2009	7 April 2010 (ousted)
—		Roza Otunbayeva Роза Отунбаева		7 April 2010 (self-proclaimed)	3 July 2010	Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan
3				3 July 2010	1 December 2011
4	6. 2011	Almazbek Atambayev Алмазбек Атамбаев		1 December 2011	Incumbent	Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan

External links

• Official webpage

See also

• Leadership of Communist Kyrgyzstan

References

1. Kyrgyz Constitution, article 45, §3