KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT CHANGES SEE USENOV RETURN AS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 000044

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KG
SUBJECT: KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT CHANGES SEE USENOV RETURN AS
CHIEF OF STAFF

REF: A. 08 BISHKEK 545

B. 08 BISHKEK 279

C. 07 BISHKEK 343

D. 07 BISHKEK 316

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Classified By: DCM Lee Litzenberger, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Signaling a shake-up at the top levels of
the administration, Presidential Chief of Staff Medet
Sadyrkulov resigned January 8. Sadyrkulov also served as the
head of the government's coordinating committee for the
Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program. Vice Prime
Minister Elmira Ibraimova, a Sadyrkulov ally, also resigned
abruptly. On January 12, President Bakiyev tapped Daniyar
Usenov, a controversial former Bishkek Mayor and Vice Prime
Minister, to serve as Chief of Staff. While Kyrgyz officials
often resurface in new positions, and Sadyrkulov has been
promised a new post soon, for now the Embassy has lost two of
its key interlocutors in the Kyrgyz government -- Sadyrkulov
and Ibraimova. The return of Usenov does not bode well for
reform, as he has used his previous posts more for personal
gain than for the public good. END SUMMARY.

Sadyrkulov Resigns
--------------


2. (C) On January 8, President Bakiyev announced the
resignation of one of the key political figures in his
administration, Chief of Staff Medet Sadyrkulov. Bakiyev
thanked Sadyrkulov for his service, and suggested that
Sadyrkulov would get another government post following a
short vacation. Sadyrkulov, in this post since April 2007,
served as Bakiyev's behind-the-scenes orchestrator of
political events, including the October 2007 constitutional
referendum and the December 2007 parliamentary elections.
Sadyrkulov was also believed to be behind the events that led
to the resignation of Adakhan Madumarov as Speaker of
Parliament in May 2008 (Ref A). (Note: Madumarov has
returned to a position in the Kyrgyz White House, having been
appointed Secretary of the Security Council in October 2008.
End Note.)

And So Does Ibraimova
--------------


3. (C) Following Sadyrkulov's resignation, Vice Prime
Minister Elmira Ibraimova, a close ally of Sadyrkulov, also
resigned abruptly. Prior to being appointed Vice Prime
Minister responsible for education, healthcare, and social
issues in May 2008, Ibraimova had been the leader of the
pro-presidential Ak Jol party faction in Parliament. In
Parliament, she clashed with then-Speaker Madumarov and
played a role in the intrigues that led to Madumarov's
resignation (Ref A). As Vice Prime Minister, she was
extremely helpful in resolving obstacles to the continued
provision of U.S. humanitarian assistance to Kyrgyzstan.

Usenov Appointed Chief of Staff
--------------


4. (C) On January 12, Bakiyev appointed wealthy businessman
and current head of the government-backed Kyrgyzstan
Development Fund Daniyar Usenov as Chief of Staff. As Vice
Prime Minister for economic affairs from February 2006 to
March 2007, Usenov led the successful campaign to keep
Kyrgyzstan out of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
debt relief initiative, and he advocated for ousting the IMF
and World Bank. He sparked controversy and resentment as he
tried to consolidate personal control over economic and
business activity (Ref D). Usenov was fired as Vice Prime
Minister in a compromise with the political opposition (Ref
C),but he returned in October 2007 as Mayor of Bishkek. In
July 2008, Usenov was named the Chairman of the Kyrgyzstan

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Development Fund. Usenov's is married to Member of
Parliament Dinara Isayeva, who owns Itek Air; Itek Air
operated the Boeing 737 which crashed after takeoff from
Bishkek in August 2008. Usenov is a close personal friend of
Madumarov.

Other Personnel Moves
--------------


5. (SBU) Interestingly, Bakiyev appointed another Sadyrkulov
ally, Oksana Malevannaya, the head of the pro-regime Channel
Five television station, as the chief of recently created
Presidential Secretariat. In this new position, she will be
in charge of policy analysis for the administration,
coordination of the press services of government ministries,
and assistance on protocol matters.


6. (C) In other personnel moves, Bakiyev made the following
appointments in the security and social policy areas:

--Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Dmitriy Fedorov as
Chief of Department of Security and Defense in the
Presidential Staff.

--Manas Akmatbekov as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs for
operations, replacing Federov. Akmatbekov had been the Chief
of the Anticorruption Directorate within the Ministry of
Internal Affairs.

--Talantbek Isayev as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs,
replacing Temikan Subanov. Isayev had been the Chief of
Specialized Guard Service within the Ministry of Internal
Affairs. (Note: Subanov was singularly unhelpful as the
senior Ministry of Interior official on site during the
August 2008 raid and seizure of the weapons of a U.S. Special
Forces training team. End Note.)

--Minister of Labor and Social Development Uktomkhan
Abdullaeva as Vice Prime Minister for Social Affairs,
replacing Elmira Ibraimova.

--Nazgul Tashpaeva as Minister of Labor and Social
Development. She had been Chief of the Social Development
Department in the Office of Prime Minister.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) Both Sadyrkulov and Ibraimova have been key contacts
for the Embassy, and helpful on some issues. Sadyrkulov was
a "fixer" of problems, but he often promised more than he
could deliver. Kyrgyz politics can be like a game of musical
chairs: bumped out of one position, you are likely to land
in another. Sadyrkulov has made enemies, but he is a
political survivor, having served as chief of staff for both
President Akayev and President Bakiyev. The latter has
publicly promised to appoint Sadyrkulov to another position,
with speculation in the press focusing on his possible
designation as an ambassador (the Austria-OSCE slot is open)
or even as foreign minister. For now, however, the Embassy
has lost two of its best and most senior interlocutors in the
Kyrgyz government.

8. (C) The return of Usenov does not bode well for reform.
In his previous positions, he has worked against transparency
in government, opposed the work of international financial
institutions, and promoted his own interests.
GFOELLER