APresident · 2010 – 2011Independent states
Roza Otunbayeva
Kyrgyzstan's third president (b. 1950), the first woman to serve as a head of state in Central Asia.
A diplomat, Roza Otunbayeva was twice foreign minister and ambassador to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. After Bakiyev's fall in April 2010 she led the interim government and was sworn in as president in July.
A 2010 referendum during her term adopted a new constitution strengthening parliament. In December 2011 she handed power to an elected president.
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Updated: October 4, 2026