In recent history, Kyrgyzstan has experienced three changes of power, when the people took to the streets, and through mass protests forced the ruling class to resign and even flee the country. The events of March 2005 and April 2010 are considered revolutionary, but, as experts note, except for the change of a number of persons on the political Olympus, they brought nothing to the people, and real changes that can be considered a real revolution began in the republic only after October 2020.
Since then, processes have been launched in Kyrgyzstan, which allowed to stop the collapse of the system of governance, restore the economy and start building, in fact, a new state. The first important step on this path was the constitutional reform. The basic law clearly delineated the powers between the branches of government, and the president ceased to be a separate figure with all the levers of power but no responsibility for anything. In the current version of the Constitution, all responsibility for the results of the government's work lies with the head of state. And this immediately affected the quality of work of the Cabinet of Ministers. Chaotic changes of prime ministers have stopped; resignations, of course, happen, but the reason for them is too unseemly omissions rather than the opportunistic interests of individual businessmen.
The power hierarchy is now organized in such a way that the president cannot blame the government's blunders on someone else; if the situation requires it, the head of state goes into the mode of manual control of the Cabinet of Ministers. This approach has shown high efficiency, and if we pay attention to the reforms and changes, they have finally affected almost all spheres - from economy and education to agriculture and construction.
It is the social component, which for many years remained out of sight of the ruling elites, that became one of the priorities of President Sadyr Zhaparov and his team. Thanks to the fight against corruption, theft from the budget has been stopped, and economic projects have allowed to fill the state treasury with additional finances. In recent years, revenues have increased threefold. And this money was immediately directed to solving social problems that had been accumulating for years and providing support to state employees.
Not immediately, but gradually, the salaries of doctors, teachers, policemen, military personnel and employees of state organizations were brought up to the amount that significantly exceeds the subsistence level. Pensions in Kyrgyzstan are indexed above inflation. Moreover, prices in the domestic food market are stable and remain at an acceptable level. According to experts, the authorities have managed to achieve an increase in the real incomes of citizens. Meanwhile, as experts note, the trends are such that the rate of economic growth in Kyrgyzstan will remain quite high.
For the first time in three decades, mass construction of affordable housing has begun throughout the country through the state mortgage company. Prices are 2 to 3 times lower than market prices. At the end of 2024, more than a thousand apartments were put into operation, and this is only in Bishkek. And across the country, the construction of entire neighborhoods for public sector employees and civil servants who do not have their own housing is beginning.
President Sadyr Zhaparov stated that more than 40 thousand apartments are under construction across the country through the State Mortgage Company. Apartments will be handed over to the queue holders in the coming years.
“You know that these large-scale projects are realized with the financial support of the state, and significant budget funds are allocated for their construction. In addition, measures are taken to accelerate construction works and improve their quality by attracting international and local investors. One of such large-scale projects is the construction of multi-storey mortgage houses, started in early 2023, the completion of which we are celebrating today at this solemn ceremony,” the president emphasized.
In just over three years, Kyrgyzstan has built more than 300 schools, dozens of kindergartens and health care facilities. Theaters and museums are being renovated, sports arenas, playgrounds and halls for physical training are being equipped. Such a pace of construction of socially significant institutions has never been seen before. But due to the fact that a lot of time has been lost, additional resources are being sought for the renovation and development of this infrastructure, and this work continues systematically.
Significant allocations have been made for educational and scientific activities. For the first time in almost half a century, the building of the National Academy of Sciences has been overhauled. The sphere, which was virtually abandoned, is being revived again in Kyrgyzstan, and the president is setting specific tasks for the scientific community.
“Now we expect you to take real steps to bring the scientific sphere to a new level, create competitive scientific discoveries, introduce innovative technologies and realize new ideas. Simultaneously with structural reforms and the requirement to achieve real results in science, I officially declare that the salaries of the Academy staff increased by 100% from Jan.1,” said Sadyr Zhaparov.
As experts note, transformations and reforms were carried out in Kyrgyzstan in a fairly short time, but they quickly brought returns. First of all, they had a positive effect on the economy and social sphere. The state has learned to be a strong economic manager and maintain order, but no less importantly, it has learned to take care of its own citizens, creating decent conditions for life, labor, education and cultural development.