Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov dismissed security chief and deputy prime minister Kamchybek Tashiev, his longtime ally in the informal ruling tandem known as “Eki dos,” or “Two Friends.” On February 13, Japarov said he had acted to prevent a split in the country and claimed that deputies and officials had been intimidated in the name of the “general.”
The dismissal came amid a political dispute over presidential terms. After the 2021 constitutional reform, the presidential term was reduced from six years to five with the right to one re-election, but a transitional clause remained for the president elected in 2021. In late January, some experts argued that the wording was ambiguous, and an open letter signed by 75 former officials, scholars, and athletes appeared online urging immediate new elections.
According to Novaya-Europe’s sources, people close to Tashiev helped circulate the appeal. Tashiev himself said he learned of his dismissal while in Germany for medical examinations related to an earlier operation, called the decision unexpected, and said he was obliged to obey the president.
At the same time, Japarov removed the border service and the state protection service from the security committee’s control and announced reforms of the agency. Tashiev had often been described as a possible successor to the president, although he denied any presidential ambitions. Experts and the outlet’s sources said the powerful security official had increasingly become an alternative center of influence backed by part of the elite and the силовой bloc.
Japarov nevertheless kept a conciliatory public tone toward his former ally, calling him a friend. The Constitutional Court, which Japarov asked to clarify the law, is due to rule on February 17 on the term issue. The outlet says the expected outcome is support for elections in January 2027.