BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – President Askar Akayev reportedly fled on Thursday after protesters stormed his headquarters, seized control of state television and rampaged through government offices, throwing computers and air conditioners out of windows.
A leading opponent of the Akayev regime, Felix Kulov, was freed from prison and praised the “revolution made by the people.” Kulov said Akayev had signed a letter of resignation, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
Members of the reinstated parliament that was in power before February’s disputed election met Thursday night to discuss keeping order in the nation and conducting a new presidential vote, perhaps as early as May or June.
Legislators in the upper house elected a former opposition lawmaker, Ishenbai Kadyrbekov, as interim president, but the lower chamber did not immediately approve the choice.
Kadyrbekov, a Communist lawmaker in the previous bicameral parliament, had been disqualified by authorities from running in the disputed elections in February and early March, which fueled the protests.
Opposition activist Ulan Shambetov, who briefly sat in Akayev’s office chair to celebrate, praised the latest uprising to sweep a former Soviet republic.
“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,” he said.
The takeover of government buildings in Bishkek followed similar seizures by opposition activists in southern Kyrgyzstan, including the second-largest city, Osh. Those protests began even before the first round of parliamentary elections on Feb. 27 and swelled after March 13 run-offs that the opposition said were seriously flawed. U.S. and European officials concurred.
Later Thursday, Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court declared the election invalid and recognized the former parliament as the legitimate legislature, said former parliamentary speaker Abdygany Erkebayev.
Akayev’s whereabouts were not known. Both the opposition and Russian news agencies said he had left the country but U.S. officials raised doubts about whether he was no longer in Kyrgyzstan.
Opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev appeared on state TV and declared: “Akayev is no longer on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.”
The Interfax news agency, without citing sources, said Akayev had flown to Russia but later said he had landed in Kazakhstan.
However, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was asked about the reports during a stop in Guatemala.
“The intelligence reports do not verify what you cited from press reports. I’m confident there will be no issue with respect to U.S. forces,” Rumsfeld said.
Bakiyev also said the prime minister had resigned but that those in charge of the Security, Interior and Defense ministries were working with the opposition.
Politics in Kyrgyzstan depends as much on clan ties as on ideology, and the fractious opposition has no unified program beyond calls for more democracy, an end to poverty and corruption, and a desire to oust Akayev, who held power in the former Soviet republic for 15 years.
The fragmented opposition has shown no signs it would change policy toward Russia or the West – and unlike in recent anti-government protests in Georgia and Ukraine, foreign policy has not been an issue.
But any change would have impact, since both the United States and Russia have cooperated with Akayev and have military bases near Bishkek. There are about 1,000 U.S. troops at Manas air base outside Bishkek. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said 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 impoverished 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,” State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.
The takeover began with a rally Thursday morning on the outskirts of Bishkek, where about 5,000 protesters roared and clapped when an opposition speaker said they soon would control the entire country.
“The people of Kyrgyzstan will not let anybody torment them,” Bakiyev told the crowd. “We must show persistence and strength, and we will win.”
Interior Minister Keneshbek Dushebayev addressed demonstrators and urged them to obey the law, but he also departed from his warnings a day earlier of a violent crackdown, saying no force would be used against peaceful protesters.
About 1,000 people surged toward the hulking, Soviet-era building that contained Akayev’s offices and met little resistance from the helmeted riot police who held truncheons and shields next to a protective fence. About half of the crowd entered through the front. Others smashed windows with stones, tossed papers and tore portraits of Akayev in half and stomped on them.
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 demonstrator 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 spokesman for the International Red Cross in Geneva, said its staff had seen “a few dozen wounded” in Bishkek hospitals – most with injuries sustained in falls or fistfights.
Hundreds of police watched from outside the fence, where thousands more protesters remained, appearing disorganized and unwilling to act against the demonstrators. Neither side visibly carried any firearms.
Officials left through a side door, protected by Interior Ministry troops. Some camouflage-clad troops also left peacefully.
Many of the demonstrators wore pink or yellow headbands signifying their loyalty to the opposition – reminiscent of the orange worn by protesters who helped bring in a pro-Western president in Ukraine last year and the rose hues worn in Georgia in 2003.
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 urging 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, who ran unsuccessfully in the elections.
Several hours after the takeover, thick plumes of black smoke rose from two burning cars nearby, apparently belonging to government officials. A fire truck responded.
After nightfall, thousands milled peacefully in Ala-Too Square outside the presidential headquarters, occasionally breaking into cheers. But 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 could be a key element in unifying the Kyrgyz opposition, which until now has lacked a single clear leader.
He had been serving 10 years in prison 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 to oppose Akayev in the 2000 presidential election.
“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.”
Topchubek Turgunaliyev of the opposition People’s Movement of Kyrgyzstan, said new parliamentary elections would be held in the fall.
Edil Baisalov, head of a prominent non-governmental organization that monitored the disputed elections, told The Associated Press that a new presidential vote might occur in May or June, to be followed later by parliamentary elections.
The opposition accused the 60-year-old Akayev, who was prohibited from seeking another term, of manipulating the parliamentary vote to gain a compliant legislature that would amend the constitution so he could stay in office beyond an October presidential election. Akayev has denied that.
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.”
—
AP reporter Bagila Bukharbayeva contributed to this story from Bishkek.
Comments are no longer available on this story