Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov confirmed on August 16 that he will run for a second term of office in the presidential election scheduled for January 27, ​2027.

"I intend to run for ​another term and continue my work," Japarov ⁠told an interviewer. "Anyone else who wants to ​take part in the election is free ​to run. We will not restrict anyone."

Japarov, elected in January 2021, is a populist-nationalist president whose authoritarian choices, such as his heavy crackdown on independent media and Kremlin-style treatment of NGOs, have stripped ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan of its previous reputation as an “oasis of democracy” in Central Asia.

Kyrgyz ⁠presidents were ousted by revolutions that took place in 2005, 2010 and 2020. The last revolution saw Japarov sprung from prison, where he was serving an 11-year sentence for kidnapping, by supporters. He then went on to win the presidency.

During the interview with local journalist Ali Toktakunov, Japarov also stated that previously he saw Kamchybek Tashiyev, the former national security chief known as the “People’s General”, who was widely viewed as jointly ruling with Japarov, as his successor and was therefore not planning to run for a second term.

However, Tashiyev was suddenly fired by Japarov in February while he was out of the country for a medical appointment, and in July he and seven others were found guilty of preparing to seize power with force. Each defendant was told in sentencing by the court that they would be allowed to remain free on probation, but as reported by IntelliNews on August 13, prosecutors have asked an appeals court to impose nine-year prison sentences on each of the eight who were convicted.

"I had a plan to rule for six years, not run for election in 2027, and if he [Tashiyev] was ready, had gained experience and started working well, I would have made Kamchy [candidate for] president and gone on holidays myself,” Japarov said, adding that, over a period of time, he began to see problems in the actions of people around Tashiyev and his staff.

Japarov also said that Tashiyev remained his friend, but that he had no plans to return him to a government position.

Tashiyev said in July that he would not run in the election and would support the incumbent for president.