Sooronbay Sharip uulu Jeenbekov (; ky, Сооронбай Шарип уулу Жээнбеков, translit=Sooronbay Şarip uulu Jeenbekov; born 16 November 1958) is a Kyrgyz politician who served as the 5th
President of Kyrgyzstan from 2017 until his resignation in 2020, following a week of
protests.
Prior to that he served as the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from April 2016 to August 2017.
Jeenbekov in the beginning was widely viewed to continue his predecessor Almazbek Atambayev's policies with whom he had held close relations prior before since the 1990's that enabled Jeenbekov to rise in political ranks until two parties faced political fallout just months after he assuming office eventually leading to Atambayev's arrest and an end of his influence in Kyrgyz politics. During his presidential term, Jeenbekov dealt with issues specifically in foreign policy and corruption in which several juridical reforms were implemented to improve public trust. In spite of that, Kyrgyzstan under Jeenbekov faced a growth of organised crime and government corruption and lack of economic development which was negatively affected upon the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
and was accused of downplaying the alleged cases of electoral fraud
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
in the 2020 parliamentary elections that resulted in public scrutiny and his resignation amidst political unrest over the disputed election results. He was succeeded by Sadyr Japarov
Sadyr Nurgojoyevich Japarov (sometimes Zhaparov) (; ky, Садыр Нургожо уулу Жапаров, translit=Sadyr Nurghozho uulu Zhaparov; born 6 December 1968) is a Kyrgyz politician who has served as the president of Kyrgyzstan since ...
who would go on to serve as an acting president and prime minister for short period of time before being officially elected in the 2021 presidential elections.
Early life and education
Jeenbekov was born in Biy-Myrza
Biy-Myrza ( ky, Бий-Мырза, translit=Biy-Myrza; formerly Telman) is a village in Kara-Kulja District of Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan. Its population was 4,003 in 2021.
The village is the birthplace of the 5th president Sooronbay Jeenbekov and ...
, Osh Region
Osh Region ( ky, Ош облусу, translit=Osh oblusu; russian: Ошская область, Oshskaya oblast) is a region (''oblast'') of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Osh, which is not part of the region. It is bounded by (clockwise) Jalal-Abad Re ...
on 16 November 1958. His father, Sharif, was a collective farm ( kolkhoz) manager while his mother was a housewife. His grandfather, Jeenbek Pirnazarov, was a Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
soldier who served during the Great Patriotic War
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...
and was labelled as missing in action. Jeenbekov is one of nine siblings in his family, being the third eldest child. Jeenbekov attended the Kyrgyz Academy of Agriculture, graduating with a degree in zoological engineering. In 2003, he completed further studies, graduating in accounting from the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University
Kyrgyz National Agrarian University ( ky, Кыргыз улуттук агрардык университети, russian: Кыргызский национальный аграрный университет) is a public university in Bishkek, th ...
.
Career
Jeenbekov started his career at the Lenin School in the Uzgen District, where he worked as a teacher at 18 and taught Russian and literature. In 1983, he became the chief livestock specialist of the Soviet farm in the Soviet district of Osh region and continued to work in the position for five years. In November 1988, he managed to obtain a job as an instructor in the district committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan
The Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan (russian: Коммунистическая Партия Киргизстана, Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Kirgizstana) is a communist party in Kyrgyzstan. KPK was founded on 21 August 1999, following a split in ...
in the Soviet district of the Osh region. After a few years, he became the director of the party committee.
After entering politics, in 1993, Jeenbekov was elected chairman of the Kashka-Zhol collective farm in Kara-Kulja District
Kara-Kulja ( ky, Кара-Кулжа району, Kara-Kulja rayonu) is a district of Osh Region in south-western Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its resident population was 100,320 in 2021. The administrative seat lies at Kara-Kulja.
Population
...
. He became a Deputy of the Assembly of People's Representatives in 1995. In 2007, he became the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and the Processing Industry. In 2010, he served as the Governor of the Osh region, and in 2015, he was appointed as Director of the State Personnel Service. In March 2016, he was appointed as First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, before his appointment as Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan.
2017 Kyrgyz presidential election
Jeenbekov resigned from the post of Prime Minister on 21 August 2017, after being named as an official candidate in the 2017 presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
. He stated that he "anted
Anted is the name of the coins issued by Antedios
Antedios or Anted
homepages.rpi.edu was an ancient k ...
to be in an equal position with other presidential candidates."
The election was held on 15 October 2017. Kyrgyzstan's central election commission reported a total of almost 1.7 million votes cast, of which Jeenbekov won 54.74 percent. Jeenbekov's election marks the first democratic transfer of power in a Kyrgyz election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
. Azay Guliyev
Azay Guliyev (born 1971) is the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, Chair of the Silk Road Support Group within the OSCE PA, Coordinator of the Baku Parliamentary ...
confirmed the election to be one of the few peaceful elections in Kyrgyzstan's history.
Presidency (2017–2020)
Jeenbekov was inaugurated as president on 24 November 2017 in a ceremony that took place in the Enesay reception house of the Ala Archa State Residence
The Ala Archa State Residence ( ky, "Ала-Арча" мамлекеттик резиденциясы; russian: государственная резиденция «Ала-Арча») is an official presidential residence in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I ...
. His first presidential decree in office was made to confer the title of Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic to former president Atambayev. Just days into his presidency, Jeenbekov changed the time of his departure to the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
to early in the morning to avoid Bishkek traffic, a move which was praised by many Bishkek residents. He conducted his first foreign visit after assuming the presidency was to Russia where he met with Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
. Early into his presidency, he has been accused of undermining the country's democracy by sandressing opposition politicians lists. On 19 April 2018, Jeenbekov fired his Prime Minister Sapar Isakov
Sapar Zhumakadyrovich Isakov ( ky, link=no, Сапар Жумакадырович (Жумакадыр уулу) Исаков, Sapar Zhumakadyrovich (Zhumakadyr uulu) Isakov; born July 29, 1977) is a Kyrgyz politician who was Prime Minister from ...
and the government following a vote of no confidence from Kyrgyzstan's parliament.
In an address to journalists in May 2018, Jeenbekov promised to fight against tribalism being imposed on the country saying that "We will take measures against those, who impose a "north-south" issue in the society."
Jeenbekov opened the Central Mosque of Imam Sarakhsi, which is the largest mosque in Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
, with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
during his visit to Bishkek
Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...
in early September 2018. During his visit, Erdoğan pressured Jeenbekov to take the appropriate measures to deal with Turkish Islamist leader Fethullah Gülen.
Jeenbekov opened the 2018 World Nomad Games
The 2018 World Nomad Games (Kyrgyz: Дүйнөлүк көчмөндөр оюндары 2018, Russian: Всемирные игры кочевников 2018) was held in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan from 2–8 September 2018 with 37 sports being featur ...
in Cholpon-Ata on 3 September 2018, marking the first major international event that Jeenbekov has hosted in Kyrgyzstan. Receiving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian politician who has served as prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has presided over Fidesz since 1993, with a brief break between 20 ...
at the Cholpon-Ata State Residence the next day, Jeenbekov thanked the prime minister for becoming the first Hungarian leader to visit the country since its independence. In April 2019, Jeenbekov received Valentina Shevchenko (a professional Kyrgyz Kyrgyz, Kirghiz or Kyrgyzstani may refer to:
* Someone or something related to Kyrgyzstan
*Kyrgyz people
*Kyrgyz national games
*Kyrgyz language
*Kyrgyz culture
*Kyrgyz cuisine
*Yenisei Kirghiz
*The Fuyü Gïrgïs language in Northeastern China
...
– Peruvian mixed martial artist fighter) during her tour of her native Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
, her first visit in seven years. Jeenbekov praised Shevchenko's role in her profession, even going as far as to say that she "defended the honour of our Kyrgyzstan". On 4 May he ordered that all mining of uranium in the country will be banned.
Foreign policy
Jeenbekov's foreign policy has been described as much more balanced than his predecessors. In his inaugural remarks, he vowed to make the Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
the country's "main strategic partner" as well as signaled that he will seek more collaborative bilateral ties with China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. He is noted for repairing relations with neighboring Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
, following an improvement in ties under Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who took power the year before Jeenbekov, and a diplomatic crisis after Jeenbekov's predecessor, Almazbek Atambayev accused Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
of election interference and called the Kazakh government under President Nursultan Nazarbayev a "dictatorship". All of this is reflected in the international working and state visits
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
which he makes often, with Jeenbekov visiting Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
the most since 28 November 2017.
In an address to the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan
The Supreme Council ( ky, Жогорку Кеңеш, Zhogorku Kengesh, ; russian: Верховный Совет, ''Verkhovny Sovet'') is the unicameral Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic. It was known as the Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz Soviet S ...
in late June 2018, he outlined and made clear that his country will pursue and develop multilateral relations with Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and the Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
by the end of his term in 2023. In his first year in office, President Jeenbekov participated in 30 international meetings, where 77 bilateral agreements and 414 multilateral documents were signed. Also during his first year, Kyrgyzstan established diplomatic relations with four foreign countries.
In March 2019, Jeenbekov made his remarks during a meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions of Kyrgyzstan that his country had plans to step up work on development of bilateral co-operation with the United States and United Kingdom. The draft of a new co-operation agreement with the United States is currently being reconciled.
During Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
's state visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
to Bishkek
Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...
in March 2019, he ordered that a new marble pavilion be created outside the Ala Archa State Residence
The Ala Archa State Residence ( ky, "Ала-Арча" мамлекеттик резиденциясы; russian: государственная резиденция «Ала-Арча») is an official presidential residence in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I ...
to provide a sound place for the National Guard to render honors. Since then, he has received Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
, Khaltmaagiin Battulga
Khaltmaagiin Battulga (; mn, Халтмаагийн Баттулга, Haltmaagiin Battulga, , also referred to as Battulga Khaltmaa; born 3 March 1963) is a Mongolian politician and sambo wrestler who served as the 5th President of Mongolia fr ...
, Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
at the new area. Jeenbekov attended the latter's second swearing-in ceremony in late May in his first visit to the Indian sub-continent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
.
State visits hosted by Jeenbekov
Coronavirus pandemic
In June 2020, Jeenbekov went into quarantine after returning from a cut-short visit to Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
after two of his staffers tested positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
during the pandemic in Kyrgyzstan. He was due to attend the 2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade
The 2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a military parade that took place in Moscow's Red Square on 24 June 2020 to commemorate the 75th Diamond Jubilee of both the capitulation of Nazi Germany in the Second World War in 1945 and the historic Mosco ...
. He declared 30 July as a Day of National Mourning. That day, he took part in an Islamic religious ceremony to honour those who lost their lives from the pandemic, saying "Let the souls of our deceased compatriots rest in peace, may their souls be in heaven".
Relationship with Atambayev
Since Jeenbekov took power in November 2017, he has had what can only be described as a contentious relationship with his predecessor and former ally, Almazbek Atambayev. In the early months of his presidency, he used his position to praise Atambayev's work, even going as far giving him the title of " Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic", which is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a citizen of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
. Atambayev strongly backed Jeenbekov during the 2017 election against his opponent Ömürbek Babanov, even referring to himself as an "older brother" to Jeenbekov. As he continued serving as president, a rift grew between the two as Atambayev later became more involved in politics in the 6 months post his presidency, eventually rising to the Chairmanship of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, of which Jeenbekov was a member of. In Atambayev's remarks following his assumption to the post, he criticized Jeenbekov for his handling of the Bishkek power plant failure earlier that, as well as rebuked him for not taking steps to force his brother to resign from parliament. In early April 2018, Jeenbekov dismissed two high-ranking officials in the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) who are considered to be close to Atambayev. The move was seen as an apparent jab at Atambayev and his former government. In an interview on his 60th birthday later in the year, Jeenbekov accused Atambayev of indirectly and directly trying to influence him and his presidency, saying the following to the 24 Kyrgyzstan news agency:
He later denied that he was fighting with Atambayev, saying at a press conference in December 2018 that his major goal was to do "nothing but to work day and night" while saying that he does "not consider anyone a rival". Due to the failed attempt by SOBR Units to arrest Atambayev at his residence in Koy-Tash
Koy-Tash is a village in the Alamüdün District of Chüy Region of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to ...
on 7 August, which resulted in the death of one soldier, Jeenbekov came back from his vacation and called a meeting of the Security Council, in which Jeenbekov accused Atambayev of "rudely violating the constitution".
The relationship between the two and their supporters eventually became so strained that the SDPK suffered splits in 2019, and the majority of each faction formed their own parties to run in the October 2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on 4 October 2020. The results showed that pro-government parties had won a supermajority of seats. The election was subsequently annulled by the Central Election Commission during the 2020 Kyrgyzs ...
where the SDPK did not field any candidate.
2020 protests and resignation
Following the October 2020 parliamentary election, protests broke out throughout the country, with many demanding his resignation. Earlier that August, he indicated that the elections could not be postponed in spite of the coronavirus pandemic. During the elections, several parties close to Jeenbekov were accused of buying votes. Out of the parties that made it into parliament, only the United Kyrgyzstan party opposed Jeenbeko. On early Tuesday morning of 6 October, protesters claimed control over Ala-Too Square
Ala-Too Square ( ky, Ала-тоо аянты, ''Ala-Too ayantı'', ; russian: Площадь Ала-Тоо, ''Ploshchad' Ala-Too'', ) is the central square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
History
The square was built in 1984 to celebrate the 60th annive ...
in central Bishkek and also managed to seize the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
and Supreme Council buildings, entering the President's offices and destroying portraits of Jeenbekov. On 6 October, following the protests, the Central Election Commission annulled the results of the parliamentary elections. Jeenbekov claimed that he faced a coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
, and then he told the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
that he was "ready to give the responsibility to strong leaders". On 8 October, it was announced that his whereabouts were unknown, with the Interior Ministry
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
saying that it is not engaged in searching for him. Meanwhile, opposition parliamentarians launched impeachment procedures against him that day.
In an address published on the presidential website on 8 October, Jeenbekov declared: "After legitimate executive authorities have been approved and we are back on the path of lawfulness, I am ready to leave the post of President of the Kyrgyz Republic". Later that day however, despite all indications of the opposite, Jeenbekov declared a state of emergency in Bishkek and ordered the deployment of the Kyrgyz Army
The Kyrgyz Ground Forces, also commonly known as the Kyrgyz Army is the infantry branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.
History
In April 1992, Kyrgyzstan formed a State Committee for Defense Affairs, and in June the republic ...
to the streets. He charged General Taalaibek Omuraliev as Chief of the General Staff to lead the response, replacing General Rayimberdi Duishenbiev
Rayimberdi Seydakmatovich Duishenbiev ( ky, Райимберди Сейдакматович (Сейдакмат уулу) Дуйшенбиев, ''Rayimberdi Seydakmatovich (Seydakmat uulu) Duyshenbiyev'') is a Kyrgyzstani General who served as the ...
. He also sacked Omurbek Suvanaliyev, who served as the national security chief.
Jeenbekov resigned on 15 October 2020. He stated as his official reason staying not being "worth the integrity of our country and agreement in society". He also called "on Japarov and the other politicians to withdraw their supporters out of the capital of the nation and to return the people of Bishkek to peaceful lives".
Post-presidency
The day after his resignation, Japarov signed an order that provided Jeenbekov with the status of ex-president, which carries the privileges of access to a lifetime of personal security, the right to reside in the main government residence, a service car, and free medical service. His next major appearance was alongside the Kyrgyz leadership at Ata-Beyit
The Ata Beyit Memorial Complex () is a memorial site and cemetery near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Located in Chong-Tash, Ata Beyit, meaning "Grave of our Fathers" in the Kyrgyz language, is currently the site of many notable burials.
History
Locate ...
during a ceremony on the Days of History and Commemoration of Ancestors. Jeenbekov took part in Japarov's inauguration on 28 January. A week later, Jeenbekov left the country for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, with many speculating the he may be going into self-exile. According to Jeenbekov, his trip was a pilgrimage that came at the invitation of the King Salman of Saudi Arabia.
Personal life
His wife, Aigul Jeenbekova (''née'' Tokoeva), has been married to Jeenbekov since 1988. Together, they have two children, with their eldest daughter, Baktygul, being married and a graduate from the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University
Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University (Russian: Киргизско-российский славянский университет) is a university which is jointly operated by the Kyrgyz government and the Government of Russia, located in city of B ...
. Their younger child is a son named Iman. Jeenbekov's younger brother, Asylbek Jeenbekov, is also a politician, while his other brother, Zhusupbek Sharipov, is a former governor from Jalal-Abad
Jalal-Abad (also spelled Dzhalal-Abad, Djalal-Abat, Jalalabat; ky, Жалал-Aбат, ''Calal-Abat/Jalal-Abat'', جالال-ابات, ) is the administrative and economic centre of Jalal-Abad Region in southwestern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and ...
and the current ambassador of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
to Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Another brother of his, Kantoro Toktomamatov (born in 1947), who formerly served as rector of the University of Economy and Enterprise
Kantoro Toktomamatov University of Economy and Enterprise ( ky, Экономика жана ишкердик университети; russian: Университет экономики и предпринимательства) is a university loc ...
, died in April 2017. Aside from his native Kyrgyz Kyrgyz, Kirghiz or Kyrgyzstani may refer to:
* Someone or something related to Kyrgyzstan
*Kyrgyz people
*Kyrgyz national games
*Kyrgyz language
*Kyrgyz culture
*Kyrgyz cuisine
*Yenisei Kirghiz
*The Fuyü Gïrgïs language in Northeastern China
...
, Jeenbekov is also fluent in Russian.
Awards
* Order of Manas
The Order of Manas ( ky, Манас ордени; russian: Орден «Манас») is the second highest order of Kyrgyzstan. The order is awarded by the President of Kyrgyzstan. Established in 1996, the order recognizes outstanding service to ...
(2015)
* Medal of Dank (2011)
* Honored Worker of Agriculture
* Order of Nazarbayev
The Order of the First President of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Тұңғыш Президенті — Елбасы Нұрсұлтан Назарбаев орде ...
(2019)
References
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeenbekov, Sooronbay
1958 births
Living people
People from Osh Region
Presidents of Kyrgyzstan
Prime Ministers of Kyrgyzstan
Members of the Supreme Council (Kyrgyzstan)
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan politicians
Chairmen of the Turkic Council