Freeloaders will be asked to leave
Kyrgyzstan will redraw its territorial administration grid: replacing the current districts with more than two dozen aimaks
**Freeloaders to Be Shown the Door**
Kyrgyzstan is preparing for a large-scale revision of its administrative-territorial structure, which could significantly alter the current system of public administration. In the second phase of the reform, the authorities intend to abolish the present regions and districts, replacing them with more than 20 consolidated administrative units—aimaks. The upcoming changes were detailed by Elchibek Jhantaev, Director of the State Agency for Local Self-Government, in an interview with the Kabar news agency.
The main objective of the reform is to reduce the number of administrative structures, eliminate duplicate functions of state bodies, and build a more compact administrative system. It is assumed that the consolidation of territories will provide an opportunity to revise the existing management mechanisms and the distribution of powers at the local level.
According to the proposed concept, the new aimaks will occupy an intermediate position between the current districts and regions. In terms of area and administrative scale, they will be larger than existing districts, but smaller than the current regions. As a result, instead of the present 40 districts, Kyrgyzstan plans to create more than 20 new administrative entities. Thus, the number of district-level territorial units could be nearly halved.
Jhantaev cited several examples of possible changes to administrative boundaries. In particular, it is proposed to divide the Issyk-Kul Region into two large parts—northern and southern. This option will allow for the formation of new territorial entities taking into account the geographical features of the region.
Similar transformations are being considered in the Jalal-Abad and Osh regions, where small districts neighbor larger territories possessing significant potential for administrative merger.
According to the head of the state agency, it is precisely the differences in district sizes and the possibilities for their consolidation that will become one of the key principles in shaping the new territorial structure.
The upcoming reform will affect not only geographical boundaries, but also the public administration system itself. The abolition of the regional and district levels will require a revision of the current structure of administrative bodies, the distribution of their functions, and the mechanisms of interaction with local communities.
At the same time, the specific boundaries of the future aimaks, their administrative centers, and the final scheme of territorial division have not yet been made public.
Thus, Kyrgyzstan is considering a transition to a fundamentally new model of administrative structure, which implies abandoning the familiar division into regions and districts. If the proposed changes are implemented, the country will receive a consolidated system of territorial management designed to reduce bureaucratic duplication and transform the organization of local state structures.