BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan’s lawmakers have given their approval to a proposal to modify the country’s flag, introducing sun rays to replace the current design. The existing flag, adopted in 1992 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, features a yellow orb symbolizing a traditional nomadic yurt against a red backdrop, surrounded by lines radiating from the center.
Parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev, who introduced the bill in November, advocated for the alteration to make the lines “clearly reminiscent of sun rays.” The move garnered support from President Sadyr Japarov and other proponents who argued that the current design’s resemblance to a sunflower hindered Kyrgyzstan’s progress as a “developed and independent” state.
Kyrgyzstan Flag Design
Japarov, in October, expressed concerns about the flag being perceived as resembling a sunflower, stating that this perception had impeded the country’s growth. “There were even cases of foreigners coming to visit us, saying that probably sunflowers grew in large quantities in our republic,” he remarked. He further added that the proposed changes would create an image as if “the sun is shining and smiling at us.”
In a parliamentary session on Wednesday, 59 lawmakers voted in favor of the flag alterations, with only five opposing the changes.
However, the move to redesign the national flag has faced opposition, with dozens of people demonstrating against the change in the capital, Bishkek, earlier this month. Critics argue that the focus should be on implementing reforms to address key economic challenges.
