President of Kyrgyzstan
After joining the Communist Party in 1969, he rose through party structures, becoming first secretary of the Osh regional Komsomol. In 1983 he became Construction Minister in the Kyrgyz Soviet Republic. He was the Vice President of Kyrgyzstan from December 1990 to January 1991. In January 1991 he became Prime Minister of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.