Opposition Declares It's in Charge in Kyrgyzstan

25/03/2005| IslamWeb

Kyrgyzstan's opposition has declared itself in control of the country after seizing key government buildings. Parliament has installed opposition leaders as acting president and prime minister and given them 24 hours to present a new cabinet.

President Askar Akayev is rumoured to have fled the Central Asian country, possibly to Kazakhstan. Other reports say he may have sought refuge at a Russian airbase near the capital, Bishkek.

The ousting comes after days of demonstrations against what the opposition says were rigged parliamentary elections.

Security forces first cracked down on demonstrators trying to enter the heavily defended government building known as the White House, but then retreated. Thousands of people then stormed the offices, effectively taking control.

More than 70 people are reported to have been injured in clashes. Reporters on the ground say the police disappeared from the streets of Bishkek. Russia's official news agency is also reporting that the country's supreme court has now annulled the electoral commission's validation of the recent polls. Kyrgyzstan follows in the footsteps of two other ex-Soviet states, Ukraine and Georgia, which have also seen their leaderships fall to popular uprisings.

Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Muslim country of five million bordering China, lies in an energy-rich region where Washington and Moscow vie for influence. Each has a military base outside Bishkek.

There was speculation Akayev might have flown to neighbouring Kazakhstan or had sought sanctuary in a Russian airbase outside the capital.

PHOTO CAPTION

Passers by look into the smashed windows of a shop in the center of Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, March 25, 2005. (Reuters)