“No conditions exist for a coup” in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s president Sadyr Japarov said on February 16, following his abrupt firing last week of national security chief Kamchybek Tashiyev, a man who was widely seen as his “co-ruler”.

“There is no situation in the country that could lead to a coup. If there are 24 hours in a day, I work 20 of them. I monitor everything closely, and if anything is wrong, I immediately instruct ministers, local authorities, and governors to fix it,” Japarov told state news agency Kabar.

Since firing Tashiyev while he was away in Munich for a medical appointment, Japarov has extended his purge to allies of the outspoken Tashiyev, a politician known as the “People’s General”.

Tough-talking Tashiyev is known as the "People's General" (Credit: Official publication).

February 16 saw him dismiss three ministers who were seen as close to Tashiyev, namely the transport, environment and emergency situations ministers.

After sacking Tashiyev, Japarov, who took power five years ago, also acted to bring security units that answered to the State Committee for National Security (SCNS, or GKNB) into new structures that come directly under the presidency.

The populist-nationalist president, who was sprung from jail by supporters prior to obtaining the presidency, and who is nowadays increasingly under fire for authoritarian rule, also told Kabar that he visited Tashiyev, who has returned from Germany, on February 15, and told him to rest.

“Yes, we met. I received him last night,” said Japarov, adding: “I said, ‘Take care of yourself, my friend, take care of your health, and stay calm.’ According to my friend, whether we call them [Tashiyev backers] ‘the elders’ or ‘the bearded ones’, he says he has never spoken to anyone else [about the events that have unfolded].”

Japarov is expected to launch a bid to win re-election to a second term in a poll scheduled for January 2027.