Interim Government In
Kyrgyzstan, Resistance Feared
The
opposition in Kyrgyzstan has taken control of government, saying
it is setting up a ‘people’s government’, after deadly
clashes erupted on Wednesday.
Leader of the opposition, ex-Foreign Minister, Roza Otunbayeva,
said that new defence and interior ministers had been appointed.
She said parliament had been dissolved.
Otunbayeva said an interim government, which would remain in
power for six months, was fully in control of the country and
had appointed new ministers.
‘Resistance’
There have been reports of sustained automatic weapons fire
breaking out in the capital as night falls on Thursday.
After the bloody uprising in the Central Asian nation on
Wednesday, the President, Kurmanbek Bakiyev declared he was not
admitting defeat.
Resistance from Bakiyev raised the prospect of continued
instability in Kyrgyzstan, also home to a Russian military
facility.
Thousands of protesters are reported to be on the streets of the
capital, Bishkek.
Accusations against Bakiyev
Since coming to power in 2005 amid street protests known as the
Tulip Revolution, Bakiyev had ensured a measure of stability,
but the opposition said he did so at the expense of democratic
standards while enriching himself and his family.
He has been accused of giving his relatives, including his son,
top government and economic posts and faced the same accusations
of corruption and cronyism that led to the ouster of his
predecessor, Askar Akayev.
Otunbayeva blamed Bakiyev for the week's violent clashes.
The Health Ministry said at least 74 people were killed
and 400 people hospitalized in clashes nationwide on
Wednesday.
Seeking dominance
Kyrgyzstan, which shares a 533-mile (858-kilometer) border with
China, is also a gateway to other energy-rich Central Asian
countries where China, Russia and the U.S. are competing
fiercely for dominance. It is a predominantly Muslim country,
but it has remained secular.
In a tentative sign that Russia may lend its support to the
opposition forces, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called
Otunbayeva on Thursday. Any suggestion that Russia is backing
the new leadership adds to the pressure on Bakiyev to step down.
Russian state media reported that 150 paratroopers had
been sent to its base to ensure the safety of the 400
military personnel and their families there.
AP/BBC/Yinka
