Felix (or Feliks) Kulov (born 29 October 1948 in Bishkek) is a Kyrgyz politician. He is the leader of the Kyrgyz political party Ar-Namys (the Dignity Party) and chairman of the People's Congress of Kyrgyzstan , an electoral alliance between Ar-Namys and other parties.
Political career
Felix Kulov initially trained as a policeman. Between 1978 and 1998 he held various posts in the Kyrgyz goverment, including Minister of the Interior, Minister for National Security and Governor of Chui Province. From 1992-1993 he was Vice-President, in which position he oversaw the launch of the Kyrgyz currency, the Som . However, he was forced to resign following a scandal over missing gold reserves.
From 1998 to 1999 Kulov was mayor of Bishkek and became a popular figure in the city. In 1999 he participated in the formation of the political party Ar-Namys, becoming its first leader. In February 2000 he announced his intention to run for parliament; the following month he was arrested, and on January 22, 2001 he was sentenced by a military court to seven years' imprisonment on corruption charges.
Kyrgyz revolution, 2005
On March 24 2005, Kulov was released during the Kyrgyz revolution and appointed as co-ordinator of law enforcement and security services (effectively, the Kyrgyz head of security) by acting president and prime minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev. He resigned this position on March 30, saying that he had restored order.
On April 1st, 2005, Kulov announced his intention to stand as a candidate for President in the elections scheduled for July 10th. On April 6th, a special working group of the Kyrgyz Supreme Court was formed to look into Kulov's earlier prosecution, and by April 11th he had been cleared of all charges.
One obstacle to his presidential bid may be that Kulov is not fluent in the Kyrgyz language; in common with many from the north of the country, his native tongue is Russian.
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