APresident · 1990 – 2005Independent states
Askar Akayev
Kyrgyzstan's first president (b. 1944), a physicist who was ousted in the 2005 Tulip Revolution.
A doctor of physics and mathematics and President of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences, Askar Akayev was elected president by the Supreme Soviet in October 1990; Kyrgyzstan declared independence on 31 August 1991.
Under him the national currency, the som, was introduced in 1993 and market reforms carried out. After protests following the parliamentary elections of March 2005 he left the country and resigned.
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Updated: October 4, 2026