Kyrgyzstan’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the next presidential elections will be held on the fourth Sunday of January 2027. The decision was made on February 17 following a petition from the incumbent president, Sadyr Japarov, according to a statement from the Constitutional Court.
The court examined the question of Japarov’s term of office, as he was elected under the 2010 Constitution and took office on January 28, 2021, for a six-year term. Under the new Constitution, adopted in 2021, the president is now elected for a five-year term, with a two-term limit. However, the 2010 Constitution set the presidential term at six years and did not allow a person to be re-elected for a second consecutive term.
The Constitutional Court concluded that Japarov’s six-year term remains valid, as he was elected according to the old rules that were in place at the time of his appointment. The new term limit set by the 2021 Constitution does not apply to his mandate. His six-year term will count as the first under the two-term rule.
The court also noted that shortening the incumbent president's term according to the new Constitution would violate the principle of legal continuity, as it would involve retroactive changes to the rules.
Regarding early elections, the Constitutional Court emphasized that they could only be held under specific conditions listed in Article 72 of the 2021 Constitution, including resignation, removal from office, or incapacity due to health issues or death.
As a result, the court ruled that elections should be scheduled no later than September 24, 2026, with voting to take place on January 24, 2027.
Fergana says Japarov’s petition was in response to a letter sent to him and the speaker of the Kyrgyz parliament. The letter, signed by 75 public figures, including former prime ministers and parliamentarians, expressed concern over the legal uncertainty regarding the president’s term of office following the adoption of the new Constitution. The signatories proposed holding early elections to avoid potential legal disputes.
