Kyrgyz President Japarov claimed that he could already predict what would happen in the country decades later: "God gave me the ability to see the future." Japarov, who collected nearly 80 percent of the votes in the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan, became the sixth president of the country.
President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov was born on December 6, 1968, in the village of Keng-Suu in the Issyk Lake province of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union.
Education
After graduating from high school in 1986, he attended the Kyrgyz National Academy of Physical Culture and Sports.
Sadyr Japarov, who was drafted into the army in 1987, stayed in the Soviet army after 2 years of compulsory military service and started the military academy.
He left the military during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and in the following years, he entered the Faculty of Law at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University and graduated from there.
Sadyr Nurğojo uulu Japarov (sometimes Zhaparov, born 6 December 1968) is a Kyrgyz politician who is currently serving as the president of Kyrgyzstan since 28 January 2021. He had previously served as the acting prime minister of Kyrgyzstan in the 2020 interim government following the resignation of President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Japarov also became acting president of Kyrgyzstan after Jeenbekov's resignation but resigned himself on 14 November 2020 to run for the 2021 presidential election, where he was elected to succeed the acting president Talant Mamytov.
In Kyrgyzstan, which gained its independence like other Soviet republics in 1991, Asker Akayev, who was the ruler of Kyrgyzstan during the Soviet Union, became president.
Soldier Akayev's unwillingness to leave his seat despite his long-term rule and his oppressive management style resulted in his overthrow with the protests that took place in March-April 2005.
Political career
Sadyr Japarov, who took part in these protests, was appointed to various administrative positions such as presidential advisor and head of the anti-corruption commission by the new president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in 2005.
In 2010, the new president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was overthrown, this time with bloody protests. This time, Sadyr Japarov would remain neutral regarding the protests.
Following this revolution, ethnic conflicts occurred between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the Osh and Jalalabad regions of Kyrgyzstan in the summer of 2010. Sadyr Japarov was accused of involvement in these conflicts on the Kyrgyz side.
In the parliamentary elections held in October 2010, Sadyr Japarov became a member of parliament from the Ata-Jurt Party. During this period, Sadyr Japarov gained popularity among the people of Kyrgyzstan by insistently advocating the nationalization of gold mines in his birthplace, the Issyk Lake province.
Years of exile and imprisonment
Sadyr Japarov, who participated in a protest in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, for the nationalization of gold mines in the autumn of 2012, was arrested, like many other protesters, and was tried on charges of "trying to overthrow the government by force".
In June 2013, Sadyr Japarov was acquitted by the court. Learning that a similar case had been filed against him and that he was about to be arrested, Caparov fled to Cyprus. He was sentenced to 11.5 years in prison in his absence.
While trying to return to the country in March 2017, Sadyr Japarov was arrested at the Kazakhstan border and imprisoned. Following the parliamentary elections held in the country in October 2020, there were again major protests. The protesters, who also demanded the release of Sadyr Japarov, raided the prison where Sadyr Japarov was being held and rescued him.
Presidency
Released from prison, Caparov made speeches that impressed the masses and became the country's prime minister after a short but tense political crisis with the actual power of the protesters. Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, who stated that he "will not accept this fait accompli", reacted and resigned. Thus, Sadyr Japarov also became acting president.
With the path clear, Caparov won the elections in January 2021 and officially became president. As soon as Sadyr Japarov became president, he realized the nationalization of gold mines, which was the issue he had given the most importance to for years. He promised the people economic development and reform.
Experts think that Sadyr Japarov's oratory and populist rhetoric had a great impact on his rapid rise and that the course of his current public support will be shaped by his actions.