Kurmanbek Bakiyev, born in 1949, won the Kyrgyz presidential election on July 11, 2005, and was sworn in August.

　　He was once appointed as acting president and prime minister by Kyrgyzstan's parliament in March 2005.

　　He served as prime minister under the presidency of Askar Akayev in December 2000, but was forced to resign in May 2002 after taking responsibility for a deadly clash between police and protesters in the south of the country.