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KURMANBEK BAKIYEV PROMISES TO REFORM KYRGYZSTAN
AZAMAT TEMIRKULOV,
Political analyst, senior lecturer at American University of Central Asia, Bishkek
The statement made by Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev about the large-scale reforms indicates that right after the presidential elections held on July 23, the Kyrgyz authorities plan to carry out a reform of government administration. The aim of the reform is to establish necessary institutions and mechanisms before carrying out the economic reforms that the country needs.
In this respect, President Bakiyev’s decision is reasonable. This is not a redistribution of powers between the Parliament and the President or between the President and the Cabinet in favor of Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
On the contrary, the Presidential Executive Office is going to delegate some its powers to the Cabinet, that’s why the institution of President’s advisers has been abolished.
It is good that the powers of the Presidential Executive Office have been curtailed; this measure would make it possible to avoid the institutions duplicating. It is also good that the Kurultai – the supreme national assembly – is established.
The Kurultai will not duplicate the Parliament as it is not a political body. The Kurultai will be a consultative body, where the President and the people could exchange opinions. It is another matter whether the President will consider the Kurultai’s position.
So, only the Kyrgyz opposition groups, which are not interested in the success of the government administration reform, can say that a turf war triggered the reform, and that there are pitfalls here. I think that the reform is not caused by a turf war.
Time will show how the reform will be implemented. Kurmanbek Bakiyev is going to complete it within his second presidential term.
September 9, 2009
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