Kyrgyzstan's new president Sooronbai Jeenbekov was inaugurated Friday in a ceremony marking the first peaceful transfer of power between elected leaders in the Central Asian country. Jeenbekov, 59, a close ally of outgoing Almazbek Atambayev, swore to protect the "unity of the country" as he accepted the national flag and donned a breastplate signifying the presidency. The boom of artillery fire marking the power transfer was audible across Bishkek, the capital of the majority-Muslim country of six million.
The former Soviet republic saw its first two presidents overthrown in revolts in 2005 and 2010, with ethnic violence leaving hundreds dead after the second revolt. Speaking in both Kyrgyz and Russian, a notably nervous Jeenbekov cited inspiration from the country's mythical hero Manas, the main character of an oral epic, and pledged to battle systemic corruption.
"A ruthless fight against corruption has begun. Conditions have been created to purify society," said Jeenbekov, who began working life as school teacher. Under Atambayev, who was constitutionally restricted to a single six-year-term in office, the country enjoyed a period of relative stability, albeit without real reforms.
After embracing his political ally, the controversial outgoing leader sounded a triumphant note, describing his time in office as one that spared the country from collapse. "Foreign political scientists said we would fall apart, but it didn't happen. Now we are an independent country. I thank my people," Atambayev said. Jeenbekov scored 54 percent of the October 15 ballot viewed as Kyrgyzstan's most competitive election since independence, with oligarch opponent Omurbek Babanov taking more than a third of votes cast.
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