MOSCOW – A convicted populist and kidnapping politician won an overwhelming victory on Sunday in a presidential election in Kyrgyzstan triggered by a popular uprising against the previous government.
Sadyr Japarov, the winning candidate, won nearly 80 percent of the vote, according to the mountainous country’s central electoral commission, the only democracy in Central Asia. More than 80% of voters also supported Japarov’s proposal to redistribute Parliament’s political power into the hands of the president.
In September, Japarov, 52, was still in prison, serving a long sentence for orchestrating the kidnapping of a provincial governor, a charge he denounced as politically motivated. A violent uprising that broke out in October over a disputed parliamentary election sent Japarov from the prison cell to the chair of the prime minister.
A few days later, he assumed the interim presidency before resigning to run for that office. The country’s main investigative body quickly canceled Japarov’s conviction.
Insulted by his critics as a corrupt nationalist with links to organized crime, Japarov tried to consolidate the society behind his campaign. There were sparse reports of voting irregularities at the end of Sunday, when election officials said participation was about 39%.
On Sunday night, at a news conference in the capital, Bishkek, he said that Kyrgyzstan needs political stability now, above all.
“I invite all opponents to come together; the minority must submit to the majority, ”said Japarov during the news conference. “I come to power in times of challenge; there is a crisis everywhere. “
Arkady Dubnov, an expert on Central Asia in Moscow, described Japarov as a populist figure of “Robin Hood” who came to power with the promise of giving people quick relief. Speaking on Sunday at Ekho Moskvy, a Russian radio station, Dubnov noted that further turmoil was inevitable in Kyrgyzstan.
“The way in which the entire power system in Kyrgyzstan was flogged and uprooted in just 48 hours shows how unstable government institutions are in this country,” he said.
A landlocked former Soviet republic with 6.3 million inhabitants, Kyrgyzstan has suffered recurrent political conflicts. Three of its presidents, including Japarov’s immediate predecessor, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, have been overthrown in violent revolts since the independence of the Moscow country in 1991.
Deep poverty, clan rivalry and regional divisions between the north and the south have made it difficult for successive governments to impose complete control over the country. Many governments have been corrupt, profiting from lucrative smuggling routes that cross the country from China.
During the most recent political turmoil, protesters captured the main government building that houses Parliament and the offices of the president. Angered by credible allegations of widespread vote buying in last fall’s parliamentary election, a violent mob stormed the building, leaving piles of debris behind.
After the protests, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said that Kyrgyzstan’s main problem was that its elites were trying to “adjust their domestic politics to the mold of some Western countries”.
“They are always trying to run in front of the train,” Putin said at a news conference in December. “At the same time, they lack the level of political awareness and institutional maturity of the type, for example, in France.”
In pressing to expand his powers, Japarov appears to be following Putin’s example. But this path can be risky. Kurmanbek Bakiyev, another predecessor of Japarov, tried to consolidate all the levers of power in his hands during his 2005-2010 term. He ended up being deposed in a bloody mess.
A country where Russian is an official language, Kyrgyzstan is a close ally of Moscow. Mr Japarov promised during his campaign to maintain close ties. Russia operates an air base near Bishkek and is also the main destination for hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan.
“We lived together with Russia for 70 years during Soviet time,” said Japarov on Sunday after casting his vote. “After the collapse of the union, we have been allies for 30 years,” he said, calling Russia “the strategic partner”.
Neighboring China is another important partner for Kyrgyzstan. The eastern economic giant is the main investor in Kyrgyzstan’s impoverished economy and the government’s main creditor.