At a meeting of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation, State Structure, Local Government, and Regulations of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan, deputies heard three drafts of the new anthem, previously selected by the commission.
After the hearing, Chynar Umetalieva, Head of the Department of Cultural Studies and Art History at the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic and Doctor of Cultural Studies, shared her opinion on the idea of changing the anthem. She was a member of the commission created by the Ministry of Culture for the competition to select the new anthem.
«Anthems are written by experienced professional composers. And not all composers can do this. I was surprised why the Zhogorku Kenesh commissioned the people to write the anthem. We had worked for a year to choose it. People participated, but none of the proposals resembled an anthem. Our current anthem is very good—both the lyrics and the music. These renowned composers knew all the rules of art. We selected three options; none of the others even remotely resembled the anthem,» Chynar Umetalieva said.
Following the discussion, the committee members rejected all three options, noting that the commission members should continue working and searching for an ideal anthem.
The idea of changing the anthem in 2024 was voiced by Parliament Speaker Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu. The president later supported this proposal. An interdepartmental commission was subsequently formed to select the anthem. It was noted that the new anthem should be chosen by April 2025.
