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[learn to swim]

Kyrgyzstan Government Falls

[learn to swim]

Mar 24, 4:50 PM (ET)

By BAGILA BUKHARBAYEVA

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) - President Askar Akayev's government collapsed Thursday after opposition protesters took over the presidential compound and government offices, throwing computers and air conditioners out of windows in a frenzy of anger over corruption and a disputed election.

The popular uprising in this impoverished Central Asian nation of 5 million forced Akayev to flee, was breathtaking in its speed and resulted in only a few dozen injured. The government was the third in a former Soviet republic - after Georgia and Ukraine - to be brought down by people power over the past year and a half.

One immediate challenge for the new rulers was rampant looting in government buildings and shops in the capital, Bishkek.

Whooping and whistling protesters took over the Soviet-era presidential headquarters, and groups of them took turns sitting in Akayev's chair. Outside, people tore up portraits of Akayev and stomped on them.

"It's not the opposition that has seized power, it's the people who have taken power. The people. They have been fighting for so long against corruption, against that (Akayev) family," said opposition activist Ulan Shambetov, one of the protesters who sat in the president's chair.

The upper house of the parliament that held power before a disputed election met Thursday night and elected a former opposition lawmaker, Ishenbai Kadyrbekov, as interim president until a new presidential vote, perhaps as early as May or June.

Two prominent opposition leaders, Kurmanbek Bakiyev and Felix Kulov, were named to top posts in an interim government, lawmakers said. The lower House of parliament early Friday appointed Bakiyev acting prime minister, and the upper House tapped Kulov, who was released from prison Thursday, to take charge of all law enforcement agencies.

The whereabouts of the 60-year-old Akayev - who had led Kyrgyzstan since 1990, before it gained independence in the Soviet collapse - were not known. U.S. officials said they could not confirm reports by the opposition and Russian news agencies that he had left the country.

The takeover of government buildings and state television in Bishkek followed similar seizures by opposition activists in the impoverished southern region, including the nation's second-largest city, Osh. Those protests began even before the first round of parliamentary elections Feb. 27 and swelled after March 13 run-offs that the opposition said were seriously flawed.

Politics in Kyrgyzstan depends as much on clan ties as on ideology, and the fractious opposition has unified around calls for more democracy, an end to poverty and corruption, and a desire to oust Akayev.

There was no sign the new leadership would change policy toward the West or Russia. Unlike the revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, foreign policy has not been an issue.

Both the United States and Russia have military bases near Bishkek. About 1,000 U.S. troops are stationed at Manas air base outside the capital. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday he didn't believe they would be adversely affected by the turmoil.

Kyrgyzstan's role as a conduit for drugs and a potential hotbed of Islamic extremism, particularly in the south, makes it volatile. There is no indication, however, that the opposition would be more amenable to Islamic fundamentalist influence than Akayev's government has been.

"The future of Kyrgyzstan should be decided by the people of Kyrgyzstan, consistent with the principles of peaceful change, of dialogue and respect for the rule of law," U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.

Neighboring regimes in Central Asia studiously ignored Thursday's uprising but their opposition parties were jubilant, hoping the seeds of democratic change had been sown in the region. After the "Rose Revolution" in Georgia in 2003 and the "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine last year, authorities have been increasingly nervous about their grip on power.

The takeover in Kyrgyzstan began with a rally Thursday morning on the outskirts of Bishkek, where about 5,000 protesters roared and clapped when Bakiyev said they soon would control the entire country.

Interior Minister Keneshbek Dushebayev urged demonstrators to obey the law, but he said no force would be used against peaceful protesters.

About 1,000 people surged toward the building housing Akayev's offices, meeting little resistance from helmeted riot police standing next to a protective fence with truncheons and shields. About half the crowd entered through the front. Others smashed windows with stones.

Some demonstrators were injured during a clash with a group of truncheon-wielding men in civilian clothes and blue armbands - the color of Akayev's party. One protester had a serious head injury and a broken leg, and another had broken ribs, said Iskander Shamshiyev, leader of the opposition Youth Movement of Kyrgyzstan.

Vincent Lusser, a Red Cross spokesman in Geneva, said its staff saw "a few dozen wounded" in Bishkek hospitals - most with injuries from falls or fist-fights.

Hundreds of police watched from outside the fence, where thousands more protesters remained. Neither side visibly carried firearms.

Officials left through a side door, protected by Interior Ministry troops. Some camouflage-clad troops also left peacefully.

Many demonstrators wore pink or yellow headbands signifying their loyalty to the opposition - reminiscent of the orange worn by protesters who helped elect a pro-Western president in Ukraine and the rose hues worn in the Georgian revolution.

At one point, a protester charged through the square on horseback, a yellow opposition flag waving, and protesters chanted, "Akayev, go!"

Dozens of youths rampaged inside the building, some smashing furniture and looting supplies, ignoring protest organizers who urged them to stop. Broken glass littered the floors and a drugstore in the building was ransacked.

"It's the victory of the people. But now we don't know how to stop these young guys," said Noman Akabayev, an unsuccessful legislative candidate.

Several hours after the takeover, thick plumes of black smoke rose from two burning cars nearby.

After nightfall, thousands milled peacefully in Ala-Too Square outside the presidential headquarters, occasionally breaking into cheers. A large store on a main street was looted, with mostly young men carting out crates of food, juice and cookies, as well as mattresses, mirrors and coat hangers.

"You have to understand, people are living in poverty," Kulov said.

Kulov's release from prison could be a key element in unifying the opposition, which until now has lacked a single clear leader.

He had been serving 10 years for embezzlement and abuse of power - charges he says were fabricated by the Akayev regime. A former vice president, interior minister and mayor of Bishkek, Kulov was arrested after announcing his candidacy for president in 2000.

"It is a revolution made by the people," Kulov said on state television, adding, "Tomorrow will come, and we must decide how to live tomorrow."

Akayev was long regarded as a reform-minded leader, but in recent years he turned more authoritarian. In 2002, his reputation was tarnished after police killed six demonstrators protesting the arrest of an opposition lawmaker.

"I am very happy because for 15 years we've been seeing the same ugly face that has been shamelessly smiling at us," said Abdikasim Kamalov, holding a red Kyrgyz flag outside the presidential building. "We could no longer tolerate this. We want changes."

On Thursday night, thousands stayed on the main square outside the presidential headquarters. An elderly man and woman in a clearing in the crowd danced to imaginary music as a man pretended to beat drums.

Story Link

[DavidXV]

:lol: At first I thought you were pulling a Golddave, but as it turns out, there really is a Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Here is the map and some info:

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kg.html

[superchick]

This is AWESOME! After hearing the president fled to another country it made me think of this little diddy.
"Where in the world is President Askar Akayev?" to the tune of" Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?" Check out the lady protesting with the giant Burberry purse. I just find that amusing.

[Grengor]

Chalk up another one for anti-corruption! :dance:

[Lagspike]

If the government is too weak to control its people, then it deserves to fall.

[ToonArmyIsComing]

Lagspike wrote: If the government is too weak to control its people, then it deserves to fall.

Governments are for the people, not the other way around! :wink:

[learn to swim]

Lagspike wrote: If the government is too weak to control its people, then it deserves to fall.

:blah:

If the government doesn't SERVE its people, then it deserves to fall.

[Pzatchok]

I love democracy.

A new nation born.

[liberal_man]

learn to swim wrote: Lagspike wrote: If the government is too weak to control its people, then it deserves to fall.

:blah:

If the government doesn't SERVE its people, then it deserves to fall.

:clap:

[Propaganda]

Pzatchok wrote: I love democracy.

A new nation born.

Hold your horses buddy. This revolution was hardly about democracy. It was about poverty and govts. inability to take care of the country. Kyrgyztan is one of the poorest post Soviet countries, the populace had to go through 15 years of extreme poverty and neglect from the authorities. I don't know how a hungry, angry and looting mob with no concrete leaders or political agenda could be qualified as a democratic movement. They couldn't even figure out what color they were going to use to represent them some were yellow, some blue and green.

But amids all the chaos and violence there were some positives that came out of this revolution. Now the neighboring govts. see that they have to look after the well being of their nation unless they want to face the same consequences. I think Turkmenistan is a very interesting country to watch right now, as I think it will be next on the list of the revolutions. But time will tell.

[Eonve]

so Georgia, Serbia, Ukraine and Kyrgystan. that makes four in a row. all of them have too much in common so it is logical to assume that they are coming from the same source.

there are two things i wonder about though.

1. which one comes next?

2. how many more does it take to wake up the old empire and trigger a backlash?

[smirnoff]

Quote: 1. which one comes next?
I would say probably Belarus or Moldova, their government seem to be the apitomy of russia-loving corruption,

Quote: 2. how many more does it take to wake up the old empire and trigger a backlash?
None, the old empire is dead, if anything Russia is collapsing on itself and we could see simular activity in Russia too. The Baltic states and Ukraine are now aligned with Europe whilst central asia is under the protectorate of the US.

[ToonArmyIsComing]

I think people are jumping to conclusions far too quickly. The whole region is undergoing transformation, but that doesn't mean democracy is taking hold anywhere.

[Pzatchok]

Funny how each revolution happens after a failed election, or a false election.

The new governemt is being led by a former minister of the state. He resigned in 2002 I think because of heavy handed shooting of protestors.

Nope no democracy here. Keep on moving along. No need to look, just a bunch of hungry, hopefull people. Move along.

[Rave against the Machine]

The US and the Russians have military bases there. The US says its no prob...so far..lets wait and see.

[anti-bush2008]

Don't get me wrong... I think people power is awesome. But I was just reading the newspaper this morning (Easter Sunday) and I read an article about how there's chaos and mass looting going on in the country now. Some shopowners that tried to stop the looting were killed by the looters.

[liberal_man]

anti-bush2008 wrote: Don't get me wrong... I think people power is awesome. But I was just reading the newspaper this morning (Easter Sunday) and I read an article about how there's chaos and mass looting going on in the country now. Some shopowners that tried to stop the looting were killed by the looters.

That's why direct Democracies are a bit dangerous, almost like Anarchy, as there are torn power struggles. If something doesn't happen soon, someone will rise up and turn the country into another dictatorship.

[Propaganda]

The Kyrgys "revolution" or should I say "revolt-looting" takes an interesting turn today. The Central Voting Committee of Kyrgyzstan has recognized the legitimacy of the newly elected parliament. If you all remember the election of this new parliament was the main reason behind the protests and eventually the overthrow of Akaev. They said that some of the ridings will have a re-vote, but mostly the new Parliament would stay as it is. Now, an big question arises: What the hell is going on? What was the purpose of these mass protests? I'm kinda confused.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4385109.stm

[Propaganda]

Found a nice article, good read for anyone interested in the situation in Kyrgyzstan:

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav032505.shtml