Kyrgyz media reports say the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan has rejected the petition of former President Askar Akayev, who requested to reinstate his ex-president status. 

The issue was discussed at a session of Jokorgu Kenesh (Kyrgyzstan’s unicameral parliament) that took place on September 25.  The parliament’s official website says 71 of 85 members of Jokorgu Kenesh voted against reinstating Akayev’s ex-president status.  Two MPs voted against rejection.

Parliament Speaker Nurlanbek Shakiyev reportedly said that the Parliament made a right decision.

“This is a very important issue. The country experienced big difficulties for 34 years of independence.  There was more bad than good.  Askar Akayev as the first president is very much to blame for this.  Aksy tragedy occurred…  As an MP elected from Aksy, I can say that people from Aksy district followed the situation with concern,” Shakiyev was cited as saying.

Kyrgyzstan’s first president, Askar Akayev, filed a request with the Kyrgyz parliament to have his status as a former president restored in late August.  It was reportedly received by Jokorgu Kenesh Speaker Nurlanbek Shakiyev on August 30 when the parliament was in recess.

Akayev was stripped of the status in 2010, five years after he fled to Moscow following anti-government protests. Akayev was facing corruption charges at the time.

Akayev was president from 1990 to 2005.  After he left Kyrgyzstan, he avoided returning there for many years.

In 2021, he made several short visits to Bishkek to be questioned by the State Committee for National Security.  During the first visit, Akayev appealed to the Kyrgyz people for forgiveness and then returned to Russia. He visited Kyrgyzstan again in December 2021 for further interviews, after which an associate said that all charges against Akayev had been dropped