Almasbek Atambayev

Almasbek Atambayev (2016)

Almasbek Scharschenowitsch Atambajew ( Kyrgyz Алмазбек Шаршенович Атамбаев ; born  September 17, 1956 in Araschan , Tschüi region , Kyrgyz SSR , Soviet Union ) is a Kyrgyz politician. He was president of his country from 2011 to 2017. Previously, he was the chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan from June 30, 1999, and head of government from March 29 to November 28, 2007 and again from December 17, 2010.

Life

Atambayev studied at the Moscow University of Administration and worked from 1980 to 1981 as an engineer at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of the Kyrgyz Soviet Republic . After another position as chief engineer, he worked in the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Kyrgyz SSR from 1983 to 1987. From 1987 to 1989 Atambayev was the deputy chairman of the Executive Committee of the Council of People's Deputies of the Pervomaiski District of Frunze.

In 1989 Atambayev founded the research company Forum ; from 1995 to 2000 followed five years as a member of the Jogorku Kengesch , the Kyrgyz parliament. From 1997 to 1999 he also headed the Kyrgyzavtomash industrial company .

As a candidate in the presidential election in October 2000, Atambayev received 6% of the vote. From December 20, 2005, he was Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism in the Kyrgyz government, but resigned from his post in April 2006.

In April and November 2006 he was one of the leading forces in the “For Reforms!” (За Реформы) movement, which organized mass protests against the government.

After the resignation of Asim Issabekow on March 29, 2007, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev appointed him acting Prime Minister; on March 30th he was confirmed in office in parliament by a majority of 48 to 3.

poisoning

Atambayev claims to have passed out in his office on May 11, 2007 after drinking a glass of water. It took two days for him to regain consciousness. Doctors diagnosed toxic hepatitis caused by an unknown poison.

Discharge

On October 24, 2007, President Bakiev dismissed the Atambayev government. Three days earlier, a new constitution had been adopted in a referendum that gives the president more power. Atambayev remained in office until the appointment of the interim prime minister Iskenderbek Aidaralijew on November 28, 2007.

2009 presidential candidacy

In the presidential elections on July 23, 2009 Atambayev ran as the most promising opposition candidate against incumbent Bakiyev. On election day, he withdrew his candidacy at short notice, justifying this by saying that the elections were being manipulated. However, his waiver no longer had any impact on the election as the deadline to withdraw had already passed. According to official figures, just under 8% of voters voted for Atambayev, and incumbent Bakiyev came to over 80%. The elections were criticized by the opposition and the OSCE as unfree. Election observers discovered numerous irregularities. After the election, Atambayev announced that the result would be challenged and called for protests.

Revolution 2010

In the wake of the bloody unrest in Kyrgyzstan in April 2010 , Atambayev was initially arrested along with other opposition politicians. After the opposition came to power, he became the first deputy head of government in the interim government under Rosa Otunbajewa .

After the parliamentary elections on October 10, 2010 and long coalition negotiations, Atambayev was re-elected head of government on December 17 by the new parliament. Among other things, he announced that he wanted to close the only US military base in Manas that remained in Central Asia .

Presidency

Almazbeк Atambayev (2nd from left) with Azerbaijani President İlham Əliyev (2nd from right, 2012)

In October 2011, the pro-Russian Social Democrat won the presidential election with almost 63 percent. Atambayev became the successor of the authoritarian Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who had been overthrown a year and a half earlier, or the interim president Rosa Otunbayeva. During his state visit to Russia in June 2017, Atambayev announced that he had asked Vladimir Putin, who is considered a confidante of Atambayev, to set up a second Russian military base in southern Kyrgyzstan. This is necessary and has to do with the strengthening of the Taliban in Afghanistan and other Islamist terror groups that are endangering the security of the country. A Russian military base is already located in Kant, about 40 kilometers from the capital Bishkek. In 2016 Atambayev and Chancellor Angela Merkel met . Another topic of his presidency was border conflicts with the neighboring country Uzbekistan, including over the mountain Ungar-Too . During his presidency, allegations were made against President Atambayev that he was abusing his office and was corrupt. Specifically, the award of a renovation contract for a thermal power station and the release of a nationally known criminal were criticized and questioned. In the presidential election in Kyrgyzstan in 2017 he was not allowed to take more, as his successor, the former prime minister was Sooronbai Dscheenbekow selected. Atambayev has a strained relationship with Dscheenbekov, however, as both compete for supremacy within the Kyrgyz Social Democratic Party (SDPK).

After the presidency

At the end of March 2018, Atambayev was named chairman of the SDPK's party congress and announced his return to politics. He emphasized that he did not want to seek higher posts. The goal is to prepare his party for the 2020 parliamentary elections.

On June 27, 2019, the Kyrgyz parliament lifted Atambayev's immunity to allow charges of corruption, abuse of office and the expropriation of property. In July Atambayev visited Russia's President Putin, who warned President Dscheenbekov of further escalation. On August 7, 2019, a special unit tried to arrest him at his property, but his supporters prevented it. One person was killed and dozens injured in the shooting between supporters of the ex-president and the special forces unit. Atambayev himself claims to have shot himself. The following day, he was arrested by security forces in another storm on his property in the village of Koj-Tash in Alamüdun district, south of the capital Bishkek. After Atambayev's arrest, fears that Russia would intervene in the domestic political crisis increased, as Atambayev was considered Putin's confidante and Russia is pursuing strategic interests in Kyrgyzstan. On June 23, 2020, Atambayev was sentenced by a court to eleven years and two months in prison for corruption.

Awards and honors

• 2013: Order of the Republic ( Serbia )
• 2014: Order of Friendship 1st class ( Kazakhstan )

Web links

Commons : Almasbek Atambayev  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Curriculum vitae on the website of the Kyrgyz government ( memento of April 8, 2003 in the Internet Archive ) (Russian)
• Almasbek Atambajew in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Presidential Election of November 7, 2000 ( memento of March 29, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) on psephos.adam-carr.net.
2. ↑ New Kyrgyz Government Sworn In ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, December 21, 2005. 
3. ↑ Kyrgyzstan's Trade Minister Resigns ( Memento of the original of September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, April 21, 2006. 
4. ^ Deputies Take Legal Steps For New Constitution , Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, November 7, 2005.
5. ^ Kyrgyz Parliament Confirms New Prime Minister , Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, March 30, 2007.
6. ↑ Kyrgyz Prime Minister after poison attack for treatment in Turkey , RIA-Novosti, June 14, 2007.
7. ^ Kyrgyz President dismisses government , tagesspiegel.de, October 24, 2007.
8. ↑ NZZ online : Opposition in Kyrgyzstan contests election results
9. ^ NZZ online : Government opponents kill the interior minister of Kyrgyzstan
10. ↑ Central Asia Analyzes No. 28, April 30, 2010, p. 17
11. ^ Die Welt : Parliament elects government under Almasbek Atambayev
12. ↑ Financial Times : Kyrgyz president says US base will be closed , October 31, 2011
13. ^ DW: Atambayev wins presidential election , October 31, 2011.
14. ^ Analysis: Kyrgyzstan's President Wants Another Russian Military Base. Retrieved October 14, 2017 . 
15. ^ Showdown in Kyrgyzstan. August 11, 2019, accessed August 14, 2019 . 
16. ↑ No surprise with Kyrgyzstan election. In: The Standard. October 15, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017 . 
17. ^ Kyrgyzstan: Ex-President Atambayev returns to politics . In: Novastan German . April 1, 2018 ( novastan.org [accessed April 5, 2018]).
18. ^ Showdown in Kyrgyzstan. August 11, 2019, accessed August 14, 2019 . 
19. ↑ https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article198167791/Kirgistan-Versuchte-Festnahme-von-Ex-Praesident-wird-zur-Schlacht.html
20. ↑ https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-president-bishkek-atambaev-jeenbekov-clashes/30099283.html
21. ^ Almasbek Atambayev: murder charges against Kyrgyzstan's former president. Retrieved August 14, 2019 . 
22. ↑ Kyrgyz ex-president sentenced to 11 years in prison. In: Reuters. June 23, 2020, accessed on June 23, 2020 .