Askar Akayev

Askar Akayevich Akayev (Kyrgyz: Аскар Акай уулу Акаев, IPA: [ɑsˈqɑr ɑˌχɑj‿uːˈɫʊ ɑˈχajɪf]; born 10 November 1944) is a Kyrgyz former politician who served as President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until being overthrown in the March 2005 Tulip Revolution. Akayev became president of Kyrgyzstan in 1990, a year before the Fall of the Soviet Union, and he remained in his post after Kyrgyzstan became independent. Initially a communist, Akayev promoted privatization in Kyrgyzstan during his presidency. While Kyrgyzstan under his rule was less authoritarian than the other Central Asian states, Akayev still ruled an authoritarian regime. He was re-elected twice in elections widely considered rigged, and faced numerous protests against his rule during the early 2000s. In 2005, fears Akayev would try staying in power by having a relative or ally be elected in his place led to the Tulip Revolution, culminating in Akayev fleeing to Moscow.