FEB. 4 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Temir Sariyev, until April 2016 Kyrgyzstan’s PM, put himself forward to run in a presidential election set for later this year, the first salvo in what could be a genuinely competitive vote to replace the incumbent Almazbek Atambayev.

The 53-year-old Sariyev had made it known since his resignation as PM over alleged links to corruption allegations that he still harboured ambitions to hold high office, and his candidacy for the top job via his Ak-Shumkar party, will not surprise observers. If anything, Mr Sariyev is considered an insider and could be a natural heir apparent for Atambayev who, as laid out by the constitution, is leaving the presidency after his single term in power.

He has not yet named a preferred successor although some analysts have said that this, in time, may end up being Sariyev.

Sariyev was Atambayev’s economy minister for four years before becoming PM in May 2015, the fifth PM since a revolution in 2010. At the time of his appointment analysts thought that with Sariyev, the government finally had a figurehead who had the political nous, backing and resilience to survive the country’s notoriously cut-throat politics. This was not to be the case, though, and he was forced to resign only 11 months later over his alleged links to a corrupt road building scheme.

A staunch proponent of close links with the Kremlin, Sariyev was the PM who, with Atambayev as president, took Kyrgyzstan into the Eurasian Economic Union, which also includes Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan.

Kyrgyzstan was the last to join in August 2015 and has always been its most reluctant member, with many businessmen and MPs blaming it for hindering Kyrgyzstan’s economy. Sariyev, though, has always backed its membership, a controversial stance in Kyrgyz politics.

But then Sariyev has always appeared to court controversy.