All regions and districts will be abolished in Kyrgyzstan, and more than 20 Imags will be created in their place. The director of the State Agency for Local Self-Government Affairs, Alchibek Zhantayev, gave details in an interview with Kabar. IMC is a unit "bigger than a district, but smaller than a region". Using the example of the Issyk-Kul region, he explained that the region is divided into south and north. In the regions of Jalal-Abad and Osh "there are small areas, but there are big potentials nearby", they are magnified and create images.
And this is a fundamentally different logic than simply merging districts. This is not a mechanical merger of neighboring administrative units, but an allocation of economically profitable areas. If you follow Gentayev's logic, IMC is not just a new region with expanded borders, but a unit that must have a sufficient economic base to qualify for itself. Earlier, Sadir Jafarov said that "the main criterion is whether he can get out of the republican subsidy". In other words, Aimag's viability is measured not by the quality of services for residents or the ease of management, but by the ability to refuse subsidies. This sets a hard bar for new configurations. Either they find an economic basis, or the reform is considered a failure.
For the rural Eyal Omoto, who have already passed the first stage of unification (from 452 to 231), this means they will be united again. Now at a level that will replace the district. The first stage caused local discontent, and Jafarov admitted it. The second will be bigger and more painful; Residents of the periphery may find themselves further away from the center of services, rather than closer.
It is not yet clear who will control Imag. The current districts are headed by Akims, who are appointed by the President on the proposal of the Prime Minister. If the imak is a unit of local self-government, its head must be elected or at least approved by the local Kenesh. If the imac is simply an extended district, it will be an appointment. The answer to this question determines whether the reform will be decentralization or simply centralization with fewer floors.