Kyrgyzstan Governor Halts Street Renaming After Public Outcry Against Local Deputy

Residents of the village of Kosh-Dobo in Kyrgyzstan's Chuy region have voiced strong opposition to a decision to rename their street in honor of a sitting local council member, Kamchybek Sharshenov. The street in question, previously known as School Street, was slated to be renamed after the deputy.

During the proposal stage, approximately 80 villagers collected signatures and submitted an appeal to the local council requesting that the renaming not be approved. However, their concerns were reportedly disregarded by the deputies. A resident speaking on behalf of the dissatisfied villagers stated that naming a street after a living individual, especially one who has not demonstrated exceptional contributions to the village, is improper. "He is a current deputy of the ayyl kenesh. He has no special merits to the village, he did not build the street. People are against it," the resident said, adding that 15 deputies supported the initiative, with Sharshenov's vote making it the sixteenth and passing the measure.

The situation drew a sharp rebuke from Elkinbek Ashirbaev, the presidential envoy for the Chuy region. "Close this matter. No name will be assigned to this street. How can you name a street after yourself? Shouldn't the ayyl okmotu have checked this? What kind of lawlessness is this?" he exclaimed.

The head of the local council asserted that he had consulted a lawyer and that all documents were processed according to legal requirements. This claim was met with laughter from the assembled residents. The head of the ayyl okmotu mentioned he had discussed the situation with Deputy Sharshenov, who had promised to withdraw the initiative. However, Ashirbaev emphasized that the core issue was the proposal itself, not the subsequent withdrawal. "It's not about him withdrawing now. The very raising of such a question was wrong. What does it mean to first raise the issue and then withdraw it – as if he's doing someone a favor?" the presidential envoy stated, promising that the matter would be resolved.