Asis Surakmatov

Asis Surakmatov

Asis Emilbekowitsch Surakmatow ( Kyrgyz and Russian Азиз Эмильбекович Суракматов , born November 22, 1971 in Frunze , Kyrgyz SSR , today Bishkek ) is a Kyrgyz politician and incumbent mayor of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan .

Career

Surakmatow was born in 1971 in Frunze, the then capital of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic and today's Bishkek. From 1989 to 1994 he studied at the Kyrgyz Architecture and Construction Institute and, after Kyrgyzstan gained independence in 1991, at the Kyrgyz National University. From 1994 to 2000 Surakmatov worked as an architect and engineer in the private sector, before moving to the city ​​administration of Bishkek as a department head in 2000 . From 2002 to 2008 he worked as deputy chief architect in Bishkek. In 2008, Asis Surakmatov ran for the first time for the city council of Bishkek and then moved into it.

In the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 ran successfully for a seat in Surakmatow Zhogorku Kengesch , the Kyrgyz Parliament, and then brought down from his position on the city council of Bishkek. From 2012 to 2015 Surakmatov was a member of the Law, Order and Crime Committee of the Kyrgyz Parliament. After the end of the legislative period in 2015 and the new parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan in 2015 , Surakmatov left the Jogorku Kengesch. He then became the managing director of the construction company Elizabeta in Bishkek.

After the dismissal of the former mayor of Bishkek, Albek Ibraimov , who was overthrown by a vote of no confidence in the city council on July 13, 2018 and then sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of corruption, the search for a successor for Ibraimov began. A majority coalition led by the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan agreed on the nomination of Surakmatov, who was elected as the new mayor of Bishkek on August 8, 2018 at an extraordinary session of the city council with 43 votes out of 44. In the run-up to the election there were protests against the election of Surakmatov, who could be elected in the city council at the suggestion of the Social Democrats, regardless of whether they were opposed to them. Civil rights activists called for the dissolution of the city council and direct election of the mayor. On August 7th, one day before the vote in the city council, the responsible electoral commission announced that the demonstrators' demands for a direct election had been rejected and that the city council could elect the mayor. With the election in August 2018 Surakmatov is legitimized for a four-year term in the office of mayor of Bishkek.

After numerous predecessors of Surakmatov had to resign prematurely from the office of mayor because of allegations of corruption or bribery, allegations against Surakmatov were also loud in early 2020. He had awarded major contracts as part of the redesign of the city center of Bishkek to the construction company Elizabeta, which he managed himself until 2018 and which was then continued to be controlled by the Surakmatov family. Critics spoke of a conflict of interest in connection with the award of the contract and drew attention to further irregularities in the construction activities in the capital. In addition to Surakmatov, several members of the city council were accused of being involved in corruption, bribery and conflicts of interest as part of the construction project. Despite these allegations, Surakmatov was able to remain in office for the time being.

With the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Kyrgyzstan on March 18, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached Kyrgyzstan. As the most populous city in the country, Bishkek quickly became one of the hotspots of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kyrgyzstan . A lack of capacity in hospitals, a lack of protective equipment and ventilators and a dynamic infection rate, especially among medical staff, exacerbated the situation in the city. After the contact restrictions were relaxed in May, the number of infections in Bishkek rose again and again in June. In view of the great problems in caring for patients in the congested hospitals, Surakmatov appealed to businessmen and entrepreneurs to donate money to buy ventilators to improve the situation. On June 22, it was announced that Surakmatov himself had tested positive for COVID-19 and was therefore forced to go into quarantine at home . According to their own information, the disease took a mild course. In addition to Surakmatov, several city administration employees tested positive. Overall, the situation in Bishkek remained extremely tense, which led to criticism of the crisis management by the responsible authorities.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Азиз Эмильбекович Суракматов. In: stanradar.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020 (Russian). 
2. ↑ Maria Orlova: Ex-mayor Albek Ibraimov sentenced to 15 years in jail, Kulmatov - released. In: 24.kg. December 23, 2019, accessed July 30, 2020 (American English). 
3. ↑ Aziz Surakmatov elected mayor of Bishkek. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English). 
4. ^ New Bishkek Mayor Elected Amid Protests In Kyrgyzstan. In: RFE / RL. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English). 
5. ↑ Catherine Putz: Unopposed But Protested: Bishkek Gets a New Mayor. In: thediplomat.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020 (American English). 
6. ↑ Agathe Guy: Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek's mayor is accused of bribery. In: Novastan German. February 22, 2020, accessed on July 30, 2020 (German). 
7. ↑ Is Kyrgyzstan losing the fight against coronavirus? Accessed July 30, 2020 (English). 
8. ↑ Bishkek mayor struck with COVID-19 as cases rise. In: fergana.news. Accessed July 30, 2020 (English).