President Japarov vows to avert fourth revolution in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK. Jan 16 (Interfax) - There are no grounds for any new abrupt change of government in Kyrgyzstan, the country's president, Sadyr Japarov, said.

"We have had three revolutions. The first two were financed by external forces. Everyone knows by which ones in particular. The third revolution occurred when no one expected it. [...] There are no grounds today for a change of government. And we will not allow any grounds for that to appear," Japarov said in an interview with the Kyrgyz news agency Kabar.

The revolutions in Kyrgyzstan were previously caused by corruption, clannishness, theft by public servants, and dishonest elections, he said.

"We will not allow that to happen. We have enough will to hold honest and transparent elections. We have not involved relatives in the system of state governance," Japarov said.

"A tough response" will be given to those who are willing to organize mass unrest, he said.

"We will act preemptively and will identify plotters' leaders who are ready to gather people and surreptitiously open fire on them, or stage an explosion. The most severe punishment will be given to them. We will not tip-toe around them, as was done before us. The security of the state and ordinary people is the utmost priority for us," Japarov said.

Japarov also accused businessman Imamidin Tashov, activist Tilekmat Kurenov and their associates, who are suspected of plotting a coup in Kyrgyzstan, of planning to stage an armed provocation through rallies of market traders who opposed the introduction of a requirement to use cash registers.

Kyrgyzstan has seen three revolutions over the past decades - in 2005, 2010 and 2020. The latest change of government occurred in Kyrgyzstan in October 2020, when opposition parties staged numerous rallies following the announcement of parliamentary election results. Disturbances subsequently broke out, prompting the authorities to cancel the results of the vote. The country's then President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and the government resigned.

When the disturbances erupted, Sadyr Japarov was serving a ten-year term for organizing unrest and hostage-taking. The day after his release from prison, the Kyrgyz parliament endorsed Japarov as a candidate for prime minister. Japarov won the January 2021 presidential election, receiving 79.2% of the vote.