Populist Appeal or Practical Leadership? Sadyr Zhaparov’s Political Discourse in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Since gaining independence, Kyrgyzstan has been famous for the reputation of being "the island of democracy in Central Asia". However, political instability has been observed in the country during the period of independence. The rise of the current President Sadyr Zhaparov in Kyrgyzstan's political landscape has ignited extensive political and academic debate regarding his leadership style and its implications for Kyrgyz democracy. According to various authoritative ratings and indices of democracy and freedom of the press, Kyrgyzstan has significantly worsened its performance under the current head of state. This study aims to investigate the extent to which Zhaparov's political discourse exhibits characteristics of populism and how this influences democratic institutions and processes in Kyrgyzstan. The research applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework to a selected set of Sadyr Zhaparov's speeches and public statements, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with political experts. A practical study of the political discourse of the head of state will serve as a contribution to the existing knowledge about the phenomenon of populism, expanding the boundaries of the study to Central Asia.