January 28 in Kyrgyzstan will take the inauguration of the elected President Sadyr Zaparov. Celebration to make modest: After the wave of criticism on the Internet, the new head of state requested the Organizing Committee to cut the costs, refusing a tuple and a festive banquet. The lion's share of invited to the ceremony will occupy ordinary supporters of Zhaparov. The fact that the main trust of the trust is almost 80% of voters policies and what steps should be expected from him in relations with EAEU partners, in an interview with Eurasia. The expert told the co-chairman of the club of regional experts "Pikir", political analyst Igor Shestakov.
- In a short period of time, Sadir Zaparov managed to focus in his hands almost all the power in Kyrgyzstan - he took the place of the premiere, "convinced" the President of the Fatherbai of Jeenbekov, and the deputies of Parliament - to hold a referendum. Then he put his candidacy for the presidency, and by having won a dozen competitors, won the election. What is the secret of its popularity?
- Sadyr Zhaparov is an atypical politician for Kyrgyzstan, who managed to become superpopular not due to the large financial opportunities, the fundamental political party or the media support. His main goat was the image of the "Kyrgyz Robin Guda", which residents of predominantly rural regions associate with "their guy", ready to fight for improving their socio-economic situation. This was achieved thanks to social networks. After all, Zaparov himself admitted that, being in places in prison, directly connected with the simple people, having his groups in classmates, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, so we are talking about hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyzstanians, with which politician communicated regularly in the online mode.
In general, since 2010, when Zaparov, along with the opposition party "Ata Jururt" won the parliamentary elections, he had a steady image of an uncompromising policy, ready to defend his principles that he did not exchange the chair or other privileges from power. There were no such precedents in Kyrgyz politics, since the Atambayev, Bakiyev and Otunbayev, who came to the power of Atambayev, Bakiyev and Otunbayeva, occupied high posts in the regimes against which they eventually performed radically.
Another feature of Zhaparov - he managed to overcome the traditional regionalism, having enlisted support for supporters both in the south and in the north of the republic, which was confirmed by the election results.
It is worth saying about the popularity of the new president among labor migrants in Russia: here, too, the results of the voting were in his favor.
- In Kyrgyzstan, there is now a rather complicated socio-economic and socio-political situation. How much of this situation is enough for the image of "his boyfriend", given that people will not feed the communication in social networks?
- The factors that I designated gives a new chapter of the state a certain margin of safety. However, now the situation with the economy is more like a collapse than even a serious crisis: the state budget deficit exceeds $ 500 million. Back in December, the government recognized that there may be problems with pensions and salaries of budget employees. Fortunately, in time Russia came to the rescue, providing the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic a grant of $ 20 million just in order to patch this budget hole.
Considering that potential migrants can not yet go to earnings in the same Russia, living in the "Side at home" mode, from the president and government will require the adoption of the most operational measures to stabilize the socio-economic situation, which is known to affect the socio-political stability. Many serious problems needed to decide in previous years. Big questions also cause external factors of financial and economic support of the Kyrgyz Republic: Western donors require the current state of the report, as almost $ 400 million, allocated to the fight against the pandemic in 2020, were spent
So the stock of the time to improve the situation in the country, has almost no opposition at Zaparov, and the opposition will most likely take into arms the technologies that he used opposing the authorities. There will be zhapars for the population at the same time and "their guy" and president, it is difficult to say.
- One of the first statements of Zhaparov as the Prime Minister was a statement about the need to change the Constitution towards the presidential form of the Board. We can say that in the end he achieved his goal. In your opinion, why was this question for him paramount?
- As shown by the results of a referendum held on January 10, most Kyrgyzstan supports the presidential form of government. In this regard, Sadir Zhaparov perfectly understood the mood of the electorate, speaking for conducting constitutional reform. In Kyrgyzstan in 2010, he hung a big beautiful sign called "Parliamentary Republic". In reality, two convening of parliament over the past ten years practically did not make any constructive actions to change the situation in the country for the better.
Parliamentarism was remembered by the fact that for 10 years we had 1-2 times a year prime ministers changed. The deputies were interested in the redistribution of government chairs, and not finding a common language with the prime minister, it was safely removed, in fact, continuing to break the economy.
All the years of the so-called parliamentarism went only the struggle for resources. It can be said that the final point in this process was not even put in January, and in the summer of last year, when the coronavirus pandemic carried out the lives of thousands of people, and the deputies, meanwhile, quietly left for her vacation. The referendum on the change in the constitution in the heads of ordinary citizens occurred exactly then. Irresponsible parliamentary authorities showed their true face. At the same time, began to talk about the need to return to the majoritarian-proportional system of elections to Jogorku Kenesh and about the reduction of the number of deputies, which suggested Zhapars.
There is no final draft constitution, because the main question is how the institution of the President will be controlled, since, taking into account the revolutions that occurred in the country, whether the authorities of the head of state are a rather sensitive issue.
- Zaparov is not only a phenomenon of Kyrgyz politics, but also a "dark horse" for strategic partners of Kyrgyzstan. In your opinion, is it worth expecting a change in the foreign policy course during his reign?
- As soon as Zaparov was elected head of government in October last year, he made a statement that he considers Russia a strategic partner of Kyrgyzstan and that he intends to continue to build friendly relations with Moscow. After the presidential election, he reaffirmed the strategic foreign policy aimed at cooperation with the Russian Federation.
Russia is a key partner and an ally for Kyrgyzstan, which provides a large support country. This is not only logistical and financial assistance. In many ways, the Russian Federation provides our security.
More than 700 thousand kyrgyzstani even during the pandemic period remained in Russia. These people are essentially a security pillow for the socio-economic situation in the country, especially during the period of an acute economic crisis, which, in turn, entails and socio-political stability. When the pandemic began, the Russian Federation was the first country that had assisted us with medicines, equipment and even doctors. Therefore, on the basis of at least this, of course, will be taken to cooperate with Moscow, which confirmed the elected president.
Of course, this does not cancel the fact as with the nearest neighbors, such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China, the Zhaparov will also be built friendly relations. Surely the course will be kept on strengthening cooperation with EAEU. First, it concerns labor migration: our citizens have serious preferences through the Eurasian Union. Secondly, the entire export potential of Kyrgyzstan is formed on the basis of EAEU.
- Zaparov said that the Russian language will maintain its official status in Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, he promised that additional efforts will be attached to the country's management to create the conditions for studying. However, he himself practically does not speak this language, although he owns them at a rather high level. Why?
- Based on the experience of working on round tables in the regions on the theme of the demand of the Russian language in the Kyrgyz Republic, I can say that ordinary Kyrgyzstanians are interested in studying. There are quite a few examples when in classes with the Russian language learning the number of students comes up to 70 people. Russian is a public inquiry in Kyrgyzstan, many parents are interested in in the future their children can successfully learn and work in the Russian Federation. And for sure Sadyr Zaparov, it understands very well. As a politician, he mainly performs in the state language, which is quite natural. It is also worth noting that all statements that Russian language allegedly does not give to develop Kyrgyz - these are populism and political speculation.
- A fairly wide resonance in the Kyrgyz Society has caused reports regarding the upcoming inauguration of the president. In particular, the criticism was subjected to the budget of the ceremony, which laid its organizers. Zaparov reacted almost instantly, promising that the ceremony would be modest. How will it pass, and who will take part in it?
- The inauguration of the chapter will be held in Economy, as Sadyr Zhaparov has already announced, since the official information has emerged that the cost of this event will be 10 million soms [$ 118 thousand] caused a wave of negative responses in social networks. A flurry of criticism caused a rehearsal of travel through the streets of the capital of the presidential tuple due to the overlap of the central roads of the capital. How did the president, lush celebrations and banquets assured the Kyrgyzstan, as well as special overlapping of roads.
More than a thousand people were invited to the solemn event itself: among them deputies of parliament, members of the government, representatives of the regions, ambassadors of foreign countries. High foreign guests in Kyrgyzstan were not already in 2017, when the inauguration was held by the soybean Jeenbekov. Then, in the office of the president, they referred to world practice, now the coronavirus is strengthened this trend. However, the presidents of other countries have not been visited by the ceremony of joining the presidents of Kyrgyzstan. So, the last in 2011 was Mikhail Saakashvili.
Kyrgyz residents have long been more interested in saving budget expenditures, and not the participation of iconic foreign persons. And in a pandemic and a huge budget deficit, when Kyrgyzstan does not have the ability to purchase vaccines, modest inauguration is the realities of today.
Arriving Ksenia Koretskaya