Kyrgyzstan plans to replace its seven regions and 40 districts with more than 20 larger aimaks in the second phase of an administrative reform, aiming to make local government simpler.
Elchibek Zhantayev heads the State Agency for Civil Service and Local Self-Government. Zhantayev outlined the proposal in an interview on Kabar radio. He said the new units would be larger than districts but smaller than regions.
Officials say the reorganization would combine districts and remove administrative bodies with overlapping roles. Boundaries would be based on geography and local economic potential. Smaller districts could be joined to stronger neighboring centers.
Zhantayev said Issyk-Kul Region could be divided into northern and southern aimaks. In Osh and Jalal-Abad regions, he suggested that smaller districts might be combined with neighboring areas considered to have greater potential for development. The proposal is part of the reform’s second phase.
According to reports, the first phase reduced the number of rural aimaks from 452 to 231. The announcement describes a plan, not a change that has been completed. The existing regional and district structure remains in place for now.