New speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh elected

On February 12, Marlen Mamataliyev was elected speaker of Kyrgyzstan’s Jogorku Kenesh. This was reported by 24.kg.

According to the report, 77 deputies supported his candidacy, while five voted against. One ballot was declared invalid, and four more were canceled due to damage. Mamataliyev was the only candidate for the speaker’s post.

For reference, Marlen Mamataliyev was born on March 24, 1981, in Bishkek. He graduated from the Faculty of Information Technology at Kyrgyz Technical University named after I. Razzakov and from Kyrgyz Economic University with a degree in Finance and Credit. He also studied human resource management in public service at the Civil Service College in Singapore. He later graduated from Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn with a law degree and completed advanced training in public administration at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.

From 2003 to 2006, he worked at the Social Fund and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic. From 2007 to 2008, he served as an assistant to the minister of finance and the minister of economic development and trade. In 2009, he was appointed adviser to the first deputy prime minister of Kyrgyzstan.

From 2010 to 2011, he headed the secretariat of the Or-Nomus faction in the Jogorku Kenesh, and from 2011 to 2012 he served as state secretary and department head at the Ministry of Economic Regulation. In 2012, he led the real sector department of the government apparatus.

From 2013 to 2018, he worked in the private sector, including as CEO of the Asia Mall shopping and entertainment center. Since 2021, he has served as a deputy of the seventh convocation of the Jogorku Kenesh, leader of the Intimak parliamentary faction, and chairman of the committee on budget, economic and fiscal policy.

In 2025, he was elected as a deputy of the eighth convocation from single-mandate constituency No. 22 in Bishkek’s Birinchi May district. By the end of the seventh convocation, he was recognized as the deputy with the highest number of initiated and adopted laws.

It is worth noting that earlier it was reported that Jogorku Kenesh speaker Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu had stepped down and that Marlen Mamataliyev was being considered as his replacement. These changes are taking place against the backdrop of the dismissal of State Committee for National Security Chairman Kamchybek Tashiyev.

Tashiyev’s resignation

On February 10, Kamchybek Tashiyev, chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security and deputy prime minister, was dismissed by a decree of President Sadyr Japarov. He explained his decision as a desire to “prevent division in society.” Tashiyev said he learned about the decision while undergoing a scheduled check-up in Germany following heart surgery.

Following Tashiyev’s resignation, his first deputy Kurbonbek Avazov, Cybersecurity Center Director Daniel Risaliyev, and Anti-Terror Center Director Elizar Smanov were also dismissed. Abdukarim Alimboyev was removed from the post of first deputy chairman of the State Committee for National Security and appointed chairman of the State Border Service. He was replaced by Rustam Mamasadykov, who had been serving as secretary of the Security Council.

Jumgalbek Shabdanbekov, who had served as head of the 9th Service and deputy chairman of the State Committee for National Security since 2020, was appointed acting chairman of the agency.

On the same day, the Border Service was separated from the State Committee for National Security.

The Japarov–Tashiyev tandem

For reference, Kamchybek Tashiyev was appointed chairman of the State Committee for National Security on October 16, 2020. The decree was signed by Sadyr Japarov while he was serving as acting president following the events of October 5–6, 2020.

The long-standing relationship between Kamchybek Tashiyev and President Sadyr Japarov has been widely regarded as one of the most stable and influential political alliances in the country. Their cooperation began long before they came to power: in the early 2010s, they were on the same side in several political processes and also went through a joint criminal episode in 2012, which further strengthened their personal ties.

After the October 2020 events, the tandem took its final shape: Sadyr Japarov became president, while Kamchybek Tashiyev was appointed head of the State Committee for National Security and became a key pillar of the security bloc. He oversaw some of the most high-profile cases, shaped security policy, and was considered one of the president’s closest allies.

Among experts, their alliance was often described as the country’s most solid political duo, and any personnel changes around Kamchybek Tashiyev were seen as a sign of serious changes in the configuration of power.

Recently, rumors circulated in political circles that the head of the special services might participate in the upcoming presidential election. Kamchybek Tashiyev has repeatedly stated that he does not intend to run for president and supports Sadyr Japarov.