The “People” and the “Strong State”
The “People” and the “Strong State”
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov came to power in 2020 on a wave of populist mobilisation. This was a democratic moment of popular resistance against corrupt elites. Once in office, he established a developmental dictatorship. The organs of repression act in the same way against corrupt oligarchs as they do against any kind of political opponent. So far, the belief that the confiscated assets and the profits from the nationalized Kumtor gold mine will be used for the benefit of the poor segments of the population that carried Japarov into office. However, there is a great danger that this regime will also channel public funds into its own accounts. There is hardly any criti-cism from Western states, as they are primarily interested in getting the Central Asian states on their side in the conflict with Russia.
(Osteuropa 8-10/2024, pp. 165–180)