The challenge of changing the Kyrgyz national anthem

The three variants that had passed the national competition were rejected by the Žogorku Keneš, the Kyrgyz parliament, which nevertheless undertook to continue the search. The new anthem, following the new flag, reflects President Žaparov's desire to affirm Kyrgyzstan's historical and current identity and its aspiration to play a leading role in the world.

Bishkek (AsiaNews) - The great debate on the new national anthem continues in Kyrgyzstan. Three variants, which had passed the national competition, were heard in the Žogorku Keneš, but none of them managed to arouse the enthusiasm necessary to revive the patriotic spirit.

Yet MPs are not giving up on their search, encouraged by President Sadyr Žaparov himself, who had already succeeded in changing the national flag, again after much debate, replacing the wavy rays of the Kyrgyz sun with vertical rays, more incisive and determined.

Throughout 2025, attempts were made to resolve the issue of the new anthem, at the suggestion of Parliament Speaker Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, in response to further encouragement from Žaparov.

The first selection examined 700 variations of the text, without reaching any conclusion because “none of them met the requirements of content and artistic quality”. In the autumn, five text variants were identified, which were then matched with the musical proposals collected in another competition.

The three final proposals were presented without revealing the names of the authors, to ensure “transparency and objectivity”, as explained by Culture Minister Mirbek Mambetaliev.

On 27 January, however, the three proposals were rejected because “our aim is not simply to change the anthem, but to ensure that all Kyrgyz people aged 7 to 70 know it and sing it with enthusiasm, whereas the variants presented are marches for toy soldiers”, commented Turgunbek.

In his opinion, “the anthem must be a song as free as the land of Kyrgyzstan, we must stop with the marches... the anthem must be such that it can be sung not only at official events, but also when we are at the table celebrating”.

The chairman of the parliamentary committee for constitutional legislation, Kurmankul Zulušev, stressed that none of the three variants presented surpass the quality of the current anthem, either in terms of lyrics, content or melody.