Kyrgyzstan delays presidential election to 2027, Japarov expected to run

Kyrgyzstan’s parliament on Wednesday approved a law postponing the country’s next presidential election from October 2026 to January 2027, a move widely seen as paving the way for President Sadyr Japarov to seek a second term.

Japarov came to power in 2020 following protests over a disputed parliamentary election. He won a snap presidential vote in January 2021, consolidating power with a series of populist measures, including the nationalisation of the Kumtor gold mine, one of Central Asia’s largest.

The head of Kyrgyzstan’s electoral commission said the change was necessary to ensure Japarov serves his full six-year term.

Political analyst Emil Juraev told Reuters that Japarov is likely to run again, noting that some of the president’s top advisers have hinted at a possible second term.

Once considered the most democratic of Central Asia’s five former Soviet republics, Kyrgyzstan has shifted closer to its authoritarian neighbours in recent years. The country of 7 million, predominantly Muslim, maintains close ties with Russia, where many Kyrgyz migrants work. It also hosts Russian military bases.

Under Japarov, Kyrgyzstan has passed a law targeting so-called "foreign agents" similar to Russian legislation and has closed several independent media outlets.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled for November, with the legislature currently dominated by pro-presidential parties.