DANIYAR USENOV APPOINTED AS NEW KYRGYZ PRIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001144 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (GORKOWSKI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KG SUBJECT: DANIYAR USENOV APPOINTED AS NEW KYRGYZ PRIME MINISTER REF: A. BISHKEK 1139 ¶B. BISHKEK 1114 BISHKEK 00001144 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Following the announcement of widespread government reforms by President Bakiyev and the subsequent resignation of the Government, President Bakiyev signed an order appointing Daniyar Usenov as Prime Minister on October ¶21. While the extent and impact of the planned government restructuring will not be clear for some time, it is already apparent that the Presidency will gain power at the expense of the Prime Minister. Public opinion is generally supportive of the idea of Bakiyev's reforms, but skeptical about their implementation, and about Usenov's fitness for his new office. END SUMMARY. Daniyar Usenov -- Kyrgyzstan's New Prime Minister -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Daniyar Usenov is Kyrgyzstan's new Prime Minister. Following the announcement of widespread government reforms by President Bakiyev and the subsequent resignation of the Government on October 20, the Ak Jol Party Political Council selected Usenov, the President's Chief of Staff, as the Party's candidate for the post of Prime Minister, passing over other contenders: Bishkek Mayor Nariman Tuleyev and serving Prime Minister Igor Chudinov. On October 21, the Ak Jol Parliamentary Faction approved Usenov and President Bakiyev signed the appointment order shortly after that. Press leaks that Usenov would be named Prime Minister appeared in the Russian-language press late on October 20. ¶3. (SBU) Usenov, speaking before the Ak Jol Parliamentary Faction, promised to form a government quickly, and also offered some comments on the President's reform plan. He said the Government should not engage in economic activity, or carry out reforms, but instead should focus on establishing the necessary conditions for economic development. He also indicated that the Agency of Development, Innovation and Investment, a new entity under the President, would take over the Governmental budgeting process, at least for long-term projects. Regarding taxes, Usenov said that the Social Fund and the tax collection service would be merged, since they are collecting from the same base, and that local authorities would be given greater 
authority to collect taxes at their level. "Reforms" Will Strengthen Presidency -------------- ¶4. (SBU) While the extent and impact of the planned government restructuring (reftels) will not be clear for some time, it is already apparent that the Presidency will gain power at the expense of the Prime Minister. The State Committee on National Security and the Financial Police will be renamed the National Security Service and the State Financial Service, respectively, and taken out of the Government structure, presumably reporting directly to the President. The State Financial Service will have exclusive authority to investigate economic crimes. The Drug Control Agency is also being merged into the Ministry of the Interior. ¶5. (SBU) The President also announced in his speech that the power to appoint Deputy District Heads (Deputy Akims) would pass from the Prime Minister to the Governors, and the power to appoint Deputy Governors would pass from the Prime Minister to the President. (The President already has the power to appoint Governors and Akims.) Other agencies that are taken outside the Government structure, and therefore presumably reporting directly to the President, include the State Commission (formerly Agency) for Religious Affairs and the State Personnel Service. The latter was formerly the Agency for Public Service Affairs, but now will have expanded responsibilities for training and selection of government BISHKEK 00001144 002.2 OF 002 workers. What are people saying? -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In the press there seems to be general approval of the goals Bakiyev put forward in his speech -- streamlining business registrations, rationalizing tax collection, and ensuring competent government workers -- but skepticism about whether they will actually be accomplished. Former Prime Minister Amangeldy Muraliyev, and former Foreign Minister (and current Social Democrat MP) Roza Otunbayev, both affiliated with the opposition, gave interviews approving generally the goals of Bakiyev's plan, particularly the idea of cutting government employees. Other oppositionists, such as Omurbek Tekebayev and Azimbek Beknazarov, simply paint the plan as a political device for transferring power to the Presidency. Local press has been mostly positive on the reforms, with the opposition press denouncing the moves as a power grab by Bakiyev. ¶7. (SBU) On the Diesel Forum, a popular Internet site for discussing politics, opinion is generally against the appointment of Daniyar Usenov as Prime Minister. Some comments echo Ak Jol MP Galina Kulikova, who asked the assembled Ak Jol Parliamentary Faction why Igor Chudinov should be removed when he has done such a competent job. Those who write in support of Usenov mention his success as a businessman and his ability to "find money." Those who are critical of the appointment, the larger number, note Usenov's propensity for generating scandals, and call him a "thief" or "an offense to the country." One comment questioned why the government should go to the trouble of reforms, since having Usenov at the helm would cancel out their effectiveness. Former FM Karabayev Is Non-Committal -------------- ¶8. (C) In an October 20 meeting with the Ambassador, former Foreign Minister Ednan Karabayev was largely non-committal, repeatedly saying "Time will tell" in response to the Ambassador's queries regarding the reforms. Karabayev said that the move to the Presidential Institute would be good for the Foreign Ministry, because it will simplify the chain of command, and he doubted that the Foreign Ministry would suffer significant staffing cuts. Regarding the President's overall plan, Karabayev clearly had reservations, but chose to emphasize the positive aspects while noting that the general operations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not drastically change. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Though it is not getting into print, many people think the restructuring of the government serves two purposes, first, to streamline the bureaucracy and make it more responsive to the wishes of Bakiyev. Second, to put people close to Bakiyev's son, Max, into positions of power and influence. Usenov as Prime Minister is not part of that. Usenov is a close long-term friend of the President, and some believed that getting him out of the President's circle was part of the purpose of the restructuring. His staying on may well be a decision the President made on his own, just to keep an old strong friend and ally close by, even as he brings new and younger blood into his government. ¶10. (C) The stated goals of the reform are ones we can work with. We will begin to explore possibilities in meetings with government officials starting tomorrow. GFOELLER