Kamchybek Tashiev and Sadyr Japarov Photo from Facebook by Otkurbek Rahmanov
Kamchybek Tashiev, the former chairman of Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (SCNS), has said he will not run in the 2027 presidential election and will back the incumbent head of state, Sadyr Japarov. The general's address to the nation was published on Facebook by his associate Otkurbek Rahmanov, the former director of the Region TV channel.
Tashiev noted that various rumors and false claims about his possible candidacy in the republic's presidential race have been circulating around his name of late. That, he said, prompted him to address his compatriots openly.
«I will not take part in the 2027 presidential election. I have stated this clearly many times, and as a general I will not go back on my word. My position has not changed and will not change,» the former security chief wrote.
He went on to stress that he would fully support Sadyr Japarov in the election — something he has likewise been saying for a long time. Tashiev called the current president a «friend» and added that by backing Japarov, he was making a choice in favor of the country's stability, state development, national unity and the future of Kyrgyzstan.
«I will continue to serve my people and my state honestly,» the ex-chairman of the SCNS declared.
In his address, he also urged citizens not to trust those who exploit the general's name to spread false information and mislead people with rumors and gossip in an effort to sow chaos in society and undermine national unity.
«By preserving the sacred bond of friendship regardless of circumstances, we will set an example for future generations. Only if we manage to maintain unity will our state be strong and our people have a bright future!» Tashiev wrote.
Japarov announced Tashiev's resignation from the posts of vice prime minister and head of the SCNS on February 10 of this year. At the time, the general was in Germany undergoing a medical examination. According to the former vice prime minister, the news of his dismissal came as a surprise to him. Even so, he said that the president's decisions must be carried out regardless of circumstances.
In April, it became known that a criminal case had been opened against the former security chief, but Tashiev urged his supporters to remain calm, insisting he was «clean before the law.» It was also reported at the time that other prominent figures had been named as defendants in the case, including former Prosecutor General Kurmankul Zulushev and former Speaker of Parliament Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu. They were charged under articles covering the organization of mass riots and actions the investigation interprets as an attempted violent seizure of power.
In July, a verdict was handed down. Tashiev, like the other defendants, was sentenced to four years of imprisonment. However, the convicts will not go to a penal colony — the prison term was replaced with probation supervision for a period of three years.
