Sooronbay Jeenbekov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sooronbay Jeenbekov
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Сооронбай Жээнбеков
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Official portrait, 2016
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| 5th President of Kyrgyzstan | |
| In office 24 November 2017 – 15 October 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Sapar Isakov Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev Kubatbek Boronov Sadyr Japarov |
| Preceded by | Almazbek Atambayev |
| Succeeded by | Sadyr Japarov (acting) |
| 18th Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan | |
| In office 13 April 2016 – 22 August 2017 |
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| President | Almazbek Atambayev |
| Deputy | Cholpon Sultanbekova |
| Preceded by | Temir Sariyev |
| Succeeded by | Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev (Acting) |
| Governor of Osh | |
| In office 16 August 2012 – 11 December 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Aytmat Kadyrbayev |
| Succeeded by | Taalaybek Sarybashev |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sooronbay Sharipovich Jeenbekov
16 November 1958 Biy-Myrza, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union (now Kyrgyzstan) |
| Political party | Independent Birimdik (affiliated) |
| Other political affiliations |
Social Democratic |
| Spouse | Aigul Tokoyeva |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Asylbek Jeenbekov Zhusupzhan Jeenbekov |
| Residences | Ordo House, Ala Archa State Residence |
| Alma mater | Kyrgyz National Agrarian University |
Sooronbay Sharip uulu Jeenbekov (born 16 November 1958) is a politician from Kyrgyzstan. He was the fifth President of Kyrgyzstan from 2017 until he resigned in 2020. His resignation happened after a week of protests in the country. Before becoming president, he was the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from April 2016 to August 2017.
As president, Jeenbekov worked on foreign policy and tried to reduce corruption. He made some changes to the legal system to help people trust the government more. However, during his time, there were concerns about organized crime and government corruption. The country's economy was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was accused of not taking seriously claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 parliamentary election. This led to the 2020 Kyrgyz Revolution and his resignation. Sadyr Japarov took over as acting president and prime minister, and was later officially elected in 2021.
Many people thought Jeenbekov would continue the policies of the previous president, Almazbek Atambayev. But they had disagreements just a few months after Jeenbekov became president. This led to Atambayev's arrest and the end of his political influence.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jeenbekov was born in Biy-Myrza, Osh Region, on 16 November 1958. His father, Sharif, managed a large farm owned by the community. His mother was a housewife. His grandfather, Jeenbek Pirnazarov, was a soldier in the Red Army during World War II. He was reported missing during the war.
Jeenbekov is one of nine children in his family. He is the third oldest. He studied at the Kyrgyz Academy of Agriculture. He earned a degree in zoological engineering. In 2003, he studied more and graduated in accounting from the Kyrgyz National Agrarian University.
Political Career
Jeenbekov began his career at the Lenin School in the Uzgen District. He worked there as a teacher at age 18, teaching Russian and literature. In 1983, he became the main animal expert at a state farm in the Osh region. He worked in this role for five years.
In November 1988, he got a job as a teacher in the local committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan. After a few years, he became the director of the party committee. In 1993, Jeenbekov was chosen to lead a community farm in Kara-Kulja District.
He became a member of the Assembly of People's Representatives in 1995. In 2007, he became the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Processing Industry. In 2010, he served as the governor of the Osh region. In 2015, he was made director of the State Personnel Service. In March 2016, he became the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration. Soon after, he was appointed Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan.
Presidential Election (2017)
Jeenbekov left his job as Prime Minister on 21 August 2017. This was because he was chosen as a candidate for the 2017 presidential election. He said he wanted to be in the same position as other candidates.
The election took place on 15 October 2017. Kyrgyzstan's election group reported that almost 1.7 million votes were cast. Jeenbekov won with 54.74 percent of the votes. His election was the first time power was transferred peacefully in a Kyrgyz election. Azay Guliyev said it was one of the few peaceful elections in Kyrgyzstan's history.
Presidency (2017–2020)
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Jeenbekov became president on 24 November 2017. The ceremony was held at the Enesay reception house in the Ala Archa State Residence. His first order as president was to give the title of Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic to former president Atambayev.
Early in his presidency, Jeenbekov changed his departure time to the White House. He left early in the morning to avoid traffic in Bishkek. Many residents liked this change. His first foreign trip as president was to Russia, where he met with Vladimir Putin.
Some people accused him of weakening the country's democracy by targeting opposition politicians. On 19 April 2018, Jeenbekov fired his Prime Minister Sapar Isakov. This happened after Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted that they no longer trusted the government.
In May 2018, Jeenbekov told journalists he would fight against groups trying to divide the country. He said, "We will take measures against those, who impose a 'north-south' issue in the society."
Jeenbekov opened the Central Mosque of Imam Sarakhsi. It is the largest mosque in Central Asia. He opened it with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Bishkek in September 2018. During this visit, Erdoğan asked Jeenbekov to take action against Turkish Islamist leader Fethullah Gülen.
Jeenbekov also opened the 2018 World Nomad Games in Cholpon-Ata on 3 September 2018. This was the first big international event he hosted in Kyrgyzstan. The next day, he met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Jeenbekov thanked him for being the first Hungarian leader to visit Kyrgyzstan since it became independent.
In April 2019, Jeenbekov met Valentina Shevchenko. She is a professional mixed martial artist from Kyrgyzstan. She was visiting her home country for the first time in seven years. Jeenbekov praised Shevchenko's achievements. He said she "defended the honour of our Kyrgyzstan." On 4 May, he ordered that all uranium mining in the country be stopped.
Foreign Relations
Jeenbekov's foreign policy was seen as more balanced than his predecessors. In his first speech, he promised to make the Kremlin (Russia) the country's "main strategic partner." He also wanted to work more closely with China and the European Union.
He is known for improving relations with neighboring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Ties with Uzbekistan improved under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Relations with Kazakhstan had been difficult after Jeenbekov's predecessor, Almazbek Atambayev, accused Kazakhstan of interfering in elections. Jeenbekov's frequent international trips show these improved relations. He visited Russia and Kazakhstan the most since November 2017.
In June 2018, he told the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan that his country would develop relations with Turkey, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and the Arab world. In his first year, President Jeenbekov attended 30 international meetings. During these, 77 agreements between two countries and 414 agreements involving many countries were signed. Kyrgyzstan also started diplomatic relations with four new countries.
In March 2019, Jeenbekov said Kyrgyzstan planned to work more closely with the United States and the United Kingdom. A new agreement with the United States is being discussed.
During Vladimir Putin's visit to Bishkek in March 2019, Jeenbekov ordered a new marble area to be built. This area outside the Ala Archa State Residence is for the National Guard to give honors. Since then, he has welcomed Xi Jinping, Khaltmaagiin Battulga, and Narendra Modi there. Jeenbekov attended Modi's second swearing-in ceremony in India in May.
State Visits Hosted by Jeenbekov
| Date | Country | Visitor | Notes |
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| 1 September 2018 |  Turkey |
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | |
| 5 September 2018 |  Hungary |
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán | |
| 28 March 2019 |  Russia |
President Vladimir Putin | |
| 12 June 2019 |  Mongolia |
President Khaltmaagiin Battulga | |
| 13 June 2019 |  China |
President Xi Jinping | |
| 14 June 2019 |  India |
Prime Minister Narendra Modi | |
| 27–28 November 2019 |  Kazakhstan |
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev |
In June 2020, Jeenbekov went into quarantine. This happened after he returned from a trip to Moscow. Two of his staff members tested positive for COVID-19. He was supposed to attend the 2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade.
He declared 30 July as a Day of National Mourning. On that day, he took part in a religious ceremony. He honored those who died from the pandemic. He said, "Let the souls of our deceased compatriots rest in peace, may their souls be in heaven."
During the pandemic, there were concerns about how funds were used. International organizations gave Kyrgyzstan a lot of money to help. However, some people believed that supplies were bought at much higher prices than they should have been. This led to public questions about how the government handled the crisis.
Relationship with Former President Atambayev
Since Jeenbekov became president in November 2017, his relationship with his predecessor, Almazbek Atambayev, became difficult. At first, Jeenbekov praised Atambayev's work. He even gave him the title of "Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic." Atambayev had strongly supported Jeenbekov in the 2017 election. He even called himself an "older brother" to Jeenbekov.
As Jeenbekov continued as president, problems grew between them. Atambayev became more involved in politics after his presidency. He became the head of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan. Jeenbekov was also a member of this party. Atambayev started to criticize Jeenbekov. He criticized how Jeenbekov handled a power plant problem in Bishkek. He also said Jeenbekov should make his brother resign from parliament.
In April 2018, Jeenbekov removed two high-ranking officials. These officials were thought to be close to Atambayev. This was seen as a challenge to Atambayev. Later that year, Jeenbekov said Atambayev was trying to control him. He said, "His attempts to turn me into a puppet leader... discredit him as a person, as an ex-president, as a fellow party member and associate."
Jeenbekov later denied fighting with Atambayev. He said his main goal was to "work day and night." He added that he did "not consider anyone a rival." However, the relationship became very tense. In August 2019, there was an attempt to arrest Atambayev. This led to a soldier's death. Jeenbekov then accused Atambayev of "rudely violating the constitution."
The disagreements between them caused the Social Democratic Party to split in 2019. Different groups formed their own parties for the 2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election.
2020 Protests and Resignation
After the October 2020 parliamentary election, protests started across the country. Many people demanded Jeenbekov's resignation. Earlier, he had said the elections could not be delayed, even with the coronavirus pandemic. During the elections, some parties close to Jeenbekov were accused of buying votes.
On 6 October, protesters took control of Ala-Too Square in central Bishkek. They also took over the White House and Supreme Council buildings. They entered the President's offices and damaged portraits of Jeenbekov. The Central Election Commission then canceled the election results.
Jeenbekov said he faced an attempt to take over the government by force. He told the BBC that he was "ready to give the responsibility to strong leaders." On 8 October, his location was unknown for a while. The Interior Ministry said they were not looking for him. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers started procedures to remove him from office.
On 8 October, Jeenbekov said he was ready to leave his post. He stated this in an address published on the presidential website. He said he would leave "After legitimate executive authorities have been approved and we are back on the path of lawfulness." However, later that day, he declared a state of emergency in Bishkek. He ordered the Kyrgyz Army to be sent to the streets.
Jeenbekov resigned on 15 October 2020. He said his reason was that staying was not "worth the integrity of our country and agreement in society." He also asked other politicians to remove their supporters from the capital. He wanted the people of Bishkek to return to peaceful lives.
After the Presidency
The day after Jeenbekov resigned, Sadyr Japarov signed an order. This order gave Jeenbekov the status of ex-president. This status includes benefits like personal security for life. He also has the right to live in the Ala Archa State Residence, use a service car, and get free medical care.
His next public appearance was with the Kyrgyz leaders at Ata-Beyit. This was during a ceremony for the Days of History and Commemoration of Ancestors. Jeenbekov also attended Japarov's inauguration on 28 January. A week later, Jeenbekov left the country for Saudi Arabia. Many people thought he might be going into self-exile. But Jeenbekov said his trip was a religious pilgrimage. He said it was at the invitation of King Salman of Saudi Arabia.
Personal Life
Jeenbekov's wife is Aigul Jeenbekova (born Tokoeva). They have been married since 1988. They have two children. Their oldest daughter, Baktygul, is married and graduated from the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. Their younger child is a son named Iman.
Jeenbekov has several brothers. His younger brother, Asylbek Jeenbekov, is also a politician. Another brother, Zhusupbek Sharipov, was a governor from Jalal-Abad. He is currently the ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Ukraine. Another brother, Kantoro Toktomamatov (born in 1947), was a university rector. He passed away in April 2017. Besides his native Kyrgyz, Jeenbekov also speaks Russian fluently.
Awards and Honors
- Order of Manas (2015)
- Medal of Dank (2011)
- Honored Worker of Agriculture
- Order of Nazarbayev (2019)
Images for kids
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The Jeenbekov brothers - Asylbek and Zhusupzhan.
See also
In Spanish: Sooronbay Jeenbekov para niños
