“Sunshine” for recovery: Kyrgyzstan is changing…

The ancient flag was reminiscent of a sunflower. “We have not been able to get back on our feet yet,” the Kyrgyz president said. Rising Sun is now supposed to change that.

The bright sun in the national flag should give Kyrgyzstan a boost: Because the previous symbol was reminiscent of a sunflower, the parliament in Bishkek approved changing the flag’s design on Wednesday. 59 MPs voted in favor of the idea that the rays surrounding the Sun would in the future be “clearly reminiscent of the sun’s rays” while only five voted against – which, in their opinion, should therefore indirectly ensure further economic growth.

The former national flag of the Central Asian Republic shows a yellow sun with 40 short rays on a red background. The red ring in the sun with intersecting red lines represents the traditional Kyrgyz nomadic yurt.

Parliament Speaker Nurlanbek Shakyev, one of the initiators of the new law, said the design was “ambiguous.” Many residents of the former Soviet republic, which was experiencing economic difficulties, believe that the sunflower is a sunflower.

“The sun will shine for us”

President Sadyr Japarov also said that the new version of the flag frees the country from “dependency.” “Until now, many people believed that the sunflower adorned our flag, and that is why the country could not get back on its feet,” he explained in late October. But in the future “the sun will shine for us” and this should give everyone hope for an “independent and developed country.”

However, not all Kyrgyzstan liked this idea: at the beginning of December, dozens of people protested in the capital, Bishkek, against changing their flag. (APA/AFP)