Statesmen
Regular readers of my postcards from Bishkek will know that I am fascinated by trivia and especially statistics. As a result, I thought that, on the occasion of AShA‘s 57th birthday, I would take a quick look at Kyrgyz statesmen.
For the record: AShA, – or АША in Cyrillic – is the abbreviation used in twitter to refer to Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambaev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic … saving anything from 5 up to 28 valuable key strokes.
Although Atambaev is President of the Kyrgyz Republic, we should also note that he has also served two terms as Prime Minister.
Part of the inspiration for this was the comment made by Sir Humphrey Appleby in an episode of the brilliant TV sitcom, “Yes Minister“, that a government minister’s term of office is on average just 10 months.
Funnily enough, the average term of office of a Kyrgyz Prime Minister, (since Independence was declared on 31st August 1991 until the current Prime Minister, Zhantoro Joldoshevich Satybaldiyev, assumed office on 5th September), is also 10 months, (well 300 days).
Of course, it is not that simple; nothing ever is – especially here in Central Asia. Of the twenty seven separate identifiable terms of office, the post has been held by 24 people, but some of those were simply Acting Prime Minister … holding the post in an “interregnum“, between one person resigning and another being appointed. This has always struck me as odd – as far as I am aware we have only ever had one person act as Acting Prime Minister, (the Earl of Waldegrave, in 1757, but he is not actually recognized in all the lists). I suppose, however, that we have to acknowledge that “Power abhors a vacuum”, and the business of government has to go on … so someone has to take the all important pechat, (stamp), assume the responsibility of the mantle and be ready to act in the case of an emergency. Some of these Acting Prime Ministers were later confirmed in office but, of the others, one held the reigns of power for just a single day. If we ignore these instances, then the average rises to just over a year.
The longest serving Kyrgyz Prime Minister was Apas Jumagulov who held the post for 1561 days between 1993 and 1998. In second place comes Nikolai Tanaev who served 1098 days between 2002 and the Tulip Revolution in 2005. Altogether, eight people have held the office for more than a year, (including Atambaev, although this was split over two separate terms)
In Britain, of course, the post of Prime Minister dates back to 1721 and the first person to occupy the office, Sir Robert Walpole, held it for almost as long as Kyrgyzstan has been an independent country – 20 years and 314 days, which makes him the longest serving Prime Minister.
For some reason I can’t find anywhere an average term of office, but the shortest period in office was just two days, by the Earl of Bath in 1746. It is said that he could find only one other person who was prepared to serve in his cabinet, so he surrendered the mandate. (I quite like the comment of contemporary satirist who wrote: “the minister, to the astonishment of all wise men, never transacted one rash thing; and, what is more marvellous, left as much money in the Treasury as he found in it.” … would that all who held the post follow his example!)
Three Prime Ministers have died whilst in office: the first person to hold the post, Nasirdin Isanov, in 1991 and Jumabek Ibraimovich Ibraimov in 1999. After Isanov’s death in a road accident caught everyone by surprise, he was replaced by members of the Council of Ministers until Andrey Yordan was confirmed in office. Iordan is the third former Prime Minister to have passed away, (in 2006).
Seven British Prime Ministers have died in office, (including one, Spencer Perceval, who was assassinated).
The average age of the newly appointed incumbent is 52; the youngest at the time of their appointment being a mere 42, and the oldest a sprightly 60. This compares relatively well with British Prime Ministers.
The youngest British Prime Minister, of course, was William Pitt the Younger, who was just 24 years, 6 months and 21 days when he was appointed in 1783. On the other hand, the oldest was Palmerstone who was 71 when he was appointed for the first of his two terms, but his great rival Gladstone holds the record for being the oldest person ever appointed to the office, who was 82 years, 7 months and 3 days when he assumed office for the third and final time in 1892.
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For the record: since declaring its Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, the Kyrgyz Republic became an independent country with the following Heads of State and Heads of Government:
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Presidents
- 1990 – 2005 : Askar Akayevich Akayev (de facto deposed from 24/03/2005;)
- 2005 – 2005 : Ishenbay Dushonbievich Kadyrbekov
(de facto acting President overnight 24/03-25/03) - 2005 – 2010 : Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiev (de facto deposed from 07/04/2010;)
- 2010 – 2011 : Roza Isakovna Otunbaeva
- 2011 – : Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambaev
- Prime ministers
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- 1991 – 1991 : Nasirdin Isanov
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1991 – 1992 : Cabinet of Ministers consisting of:
- Andrey Andreyevich Yordan (who signed most documents on behalf of government)
- Turar Koychuyevich Koychuyev
- Esenbek Duysheyevich Duysheyev
- Yan Yefimovich Fisher
- Amangeldy Mursadykovich Muraliyev
- 1992 – 1993 : Tursunbek Chyngyshevich Chyngyshev
- 1993 – 1994 : Almanbet Matubraimov (Acting – 1 day)
- 1993 – 1998 : Apas Jumagulovich Jumagulov
- 1998 – 1998 : Kubanychbek Myrzabekovich Jumaliev
- 1998 – 1998 : Boris Ivanovich Silayev (Acting – 2 days)
- 1998 – 1999 : Jumabek Ibraimovich Ibraimov
- 1999 – 1999 : Boris Ivanovich Silayev (Acting – 8 days)
- 1999 – 2000 : Amangeldy Mursadykovich Muraliev
- 2000 – 2002 : Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiev
- 2002 – 2005 : Nikolay Timofeyevich Tanaev
- 2005 – 2005 : Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiev
- 2005 – 2005 : Medetbek Temirbekovich Kerimkulov (Acting – for election period)
- 2005 – 2007 : Feliks Kulov
- 2007 : Azim Isabekov
- 2007 : Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambaev
- 2007 : Iskenderbek Rysbekovich Aidaraliyev
- 2007 – 2009 : Igor Vitalyevich Chudinov
- 2009 – 2010 : Daniyar Toktogulovich Usenov
- 2010 : Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva (Chairman of the Provisional Government)
- 2010 – 2011 : Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambaev
- 2011 : Omurbek Toktogulovich Babanov (Acting – for election period)
- 2011 – 2012 : Omurbek Toktogulovich Babanov
- 2012 : Aaly Azimovich Karashev (Acting – 4 days)
- 2012 : Zhantoro Joldoshevich Satybaldiev
Bishkek