Sooronbay Jeenbekov

Sooronbay Jeenbekov Сооронбай Жээнбеков
5th President of Kyrgyzstan
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 November 2017
Prime Minister	Sapar Isakov Muhammetkaliy Abulgaziyev
Preceded by	Almazbek Atambayev
18th Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan
In office 13 April 2016 – 22 August 2017
President	Almazbek Atambayev
Deputy	Cholpon Sultanbekova
Preceded by	Temir Sariyev
Succeeded by	Muhammetkaliy Abulgaziyev (Acting)
Governor of Osh
In office 16 August 2012 – 11 December 2015
Prime Minister	Ömürbek Babanov Djoomart Otorbaev
Preceded by	Aytmat Kadyrbayev
Succeeded by	Taalaybek Sarybashev
Personal details
Born	Sooronbay Sharipovich Jeenbekov (1958-11-16) 16 November 1958 Biy-Myrza, Soviet Union (now Kyrgyzstan)
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Aigul Tokoyeva
Children	3
Residence	Ordo House, Ala Archa State Residence
Alma mater	Kyrgyz National Agrarian University

Sooronbay Sharipovich Jeenbekov (Kyrgyz: Сооронбай Шарипович (Шарип уулу) Жээнбеков, Sooronbay Şaripoviç (Şarip uulu) Jéénbekov; [soːrɔnˈbɑj ʃɑˈripɐvit͡ʃ d͡ʒeːnˈbɛkəf] or Sooronbay Zheenbekov; born 16 November 1958) is a Kyrgyz politician, and the President of Kyrgyzstan. He officially took office on 24 November 2017.^[1] He also was the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from April 2016 to August 2017.^[2][3]

Early life and education

Zhusupbek Sharipov

Jeenbekov was born in Biy-Myrza, Osh Region to a collective farm manager and a housewife.^[4] His brother, Asylbek Jeenbekov, is also a politician, his other brother, Zhusupbek Sharipov is the current ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Ukraine.^[5] Jeenbekov has nine siblings in total. Jeenbekov attended the Kyrgyz Academy of Agriculture, graduating with a degree in zoological engineering. In 2003, he completed further studies, graduating in accounting from the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University.^[6]

Career

Prime Minister Jeenbekov with Dmitry Medvedev, and Tigran Sargsyan at the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council summit in Bishkek, 7 March 2017.

Jeenbekov started his career at the Lenin School in the Uzgen District, where he worked as a teacher at 18 and taught Russian and literature. In 1983, he became the chief livestock specialist of the Soviet farm in the Soviet district of Osh region and continue to work in the position for about five years. In November 1988, he managed to obtain a job as an instructor in the district committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan in the Soviet district of the Osh region. After a few years, he became the director of the party committee.^[7]

After entering politics, in 1993, Jeenbekov was elected chairman of the Kashka-Zhol collective farm in Kara-Kulja District.^[8] He became a Deputy of the Assembly of People's Representatives in 1995. In 2007, he became the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and the Processing Industry. In 2010, he served as the Governor of the Osh region, and in 2015, he was appointed as Director of the State Personnel Service. In March 2016, he was appointed as First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, before his appointment as Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan.^[9][10]

2017 Kyrgyz presidential election

Jeenbekov resigned from the post of Prime Minister on 21 August 2017, after being named as an official candidate in the 2017 presidential election. He stated that he "[wanted] to be in an equal position with other presidential candidates."^[3]

The election was held on 15 October 2017. Kyrgyzstan's central election commission reported a total of almost 1.7 million votes cast, of which Jeenbekov won 54.74 percent.^[11] Jeenbekov's election marks the first democratic transfer of power in a Kyrgyz election. Azay Guliyev confirmed the election to be one of the few peaceful elections in Kyrgyzstan's history.^[12]

Presidency

Jeenbekov with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Sochi, Russia.

Jeenbekov with Nursultan Nazarbayev at the FIFA World Cup in Russia

Jeenbekov was inaugurated as president on 24 November 2017.^[1] His first foreign visit after assuming the presidency was to Russia where he met with Vladimir Putin.^[13] Early into his presidency, he has been accused of undermining the country's democracy by suppressing opposition politicians and journalists.^[14] On 19 April 2018, Jeenbekov fired his Prime Minister Sapar Isakov and the government following a vote of no confidence from Kyrgyzstan's parliament.^[15]

In an address to journalists in May 2018, Jeenbekov promised to fight against tribalism being imposed on the country saying that "We will take measures against those, who impose a "north-south" issue in the society."^[16]

Jeenbekov with Ilham Aliyev

Jeenbekov opened the Central Mosque of Imam Sarakhsi, which is the largest mosquer in Central Asia, with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Bishkek in early September of 2018.^[17] During his visit, Erdoğan pressured Jeenbekov to take the appropriate measures to deal with Turkish Islamist leader Fethullah Gülen.^[18]

Jeenbekov opened the 2018 World Nomad Games in Cholpon-Ata on September 3, 2018, marking the first major international event that Jeenbekov has hosted in Kyrgyzstan.^[19] Receiving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Cholpon-Ata State Residence the next day, Jeenbekov thanked the prime minister for becoming the first Hungarian leader to visit the country since it's independence.^[20]

Awards

• Order of Manas (2015)
• Medal of Dank (2011)
• Honored Worker of Agriculture

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

• "Жээнбеков Сооронбай Шарипович" [Jeenbekov Sooronbay Sharipovich] (in Kyrgyz). Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. Archived from the original on 2016-12-27.