BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) – Kyrgyzstan’s political uncertainties intensified Sunday in a struggle between rival parliaments, and the head law enforcement official, appointed by one parliament unexpectedly declared the other legislature as the legitimate lawmaking body.

Although police backed by civilian volunteers solidified control of the capital after several nights of looting and gunfire, the dispute between the parliaments raised troubling questions for the impoverished country’s 5 million people about whether Kyrgyzstan’s interim leaders could overcome deep disputes and bring the country a measure of stability.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which Kyrgyzstan is a member, is sending legal experts in an attempt to unravel the conflict between the parliaments.

“We think the need for them is urgent,” said envoy Alojz Peterle, who assessed the dispute as “very, very sensitive.”

Since President Askar Akayev was ousted by demonstrators who stormed his offices on Thursday, there has been little indication that his backers aim for a comeback. About 150 people blocked a highway on Sunday in support of Akayev, who has fled to Russia, but dispersed peacefully.

Nonetheless, anxieties are high in the country and the struggle for legislative power could interfere with officials’ efforts to fight poverty, corruption and repression.

Protests began swelling in early March after the first round of parliamentary elections that the opposition said were manipulated by Akayev’s regime to give him a compliant legislature.

After the second round, anger swelled and protesters stormed the presidential administration building, toppling the regime.

The Supreme Court reinstated the country’s previous parliament by revoking the mandates of the new lawmakers, and the restored old legislature chose opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev as acting president and prime minister. But the newly elected parliament, which had convened just two days before Akayev fled, also claimed legitimacy.

The Central Elections Commission backed that claim on Saturday and a day later came surprise backing from a powerful man: Felix Kulov, who had been named coordinator of law-enforcement agencies by the other parliament.

“The new parliament is legitimate and the old parliament’s term has expired,” said Kulov. The contention has added power because Kulov had wide support among the opposition – he had spent the last four years in prison on charges seen as politically motivated and was freed only on Thursday, by protesters jubilant after the presidential storming.

Kulov threatened to “take measures to arrest” anyone in the old parliament who refused to step down. When acting Prosecutor-General Azimbek Beknazarov challenged Kulov, saying: “These are the people who freed you, will you arrest them?”

“I am tired; I apologize for that,” Kulov responded.

The new parliament held a brief session Sunday in a grand, wood-paneled auditorium while some legislators from the competing body watched the proceedings on televisions in the parliamentary press room. Some legislators are members of both parliaments.

In a sign that the new parliament may be gaining legitimacy, Beknazarov, who is closely allied with Bakiyev, conceded that the new parliament was officially recognized, and lawmaker Omurbek Tekebayev said that Bakiyev had sent a representative to the session.

Bakiyev could not immediately be reached; his spokeswoman said she would only officially take up her position Monday so could not comment. But lawmaker Alevtina Pronenko, who is a member of Bakiyev’s acting Cabinet, criticized the newly elected parliament’s decision to claim legitimacy, warning: “I think that the people will not stand for this.”

In an apparent bid to safeguard Bakiyev’s position as acting leader regardless, the acting prosecutor-general said that decisions taken earlier by the former parliament were still considered valid. However, Bakiyev’s position could be considered weak because he was named only the “acting” leader, a position that might not hold up to a challenge by the new legislators.

Presidential elections are scheduled for June 26, and Bakiyev has said he plans to run. Kulov is also considered by many to be a likely candidate.

On the streets of the capital, the mass disorder that followed Akayev’s ouster had subsided, with police and volunteers with red armbands claiming success after a relatively quiet night in their fight against the looting that left Bishkek’s main street a line of boarded up and shuttered stores.

“For the most part, there was none of the mass disorder, but there were still enough reports of theft at smaller stores and offices and a sharp increase in car thefts to say that our work continues,” a duty officer at the Interior Ministry’s press service said.

Three people were killed in the capital overnight, he said. The circumstances of the deaths were under investigation, but at least one of the victims appeared to have been a looter.

About 50 miles from Bishkek about 700 protesters supporting Akayev gathered Sunday in the former leader’s hometown, and about 150 of them temporarily blocked a main road to the capital, before peacefully dispersing. The protesters said they don’t accept Bakiyev as leader.

Akayev, 60, had led Kyrgyzstan since 1990, before it gained independence in the Soviet collapse. He was long considered the most democratic leader in the five ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, but was accused of increasingly cracking down on dissent in recent years.

Kyrgyzstan hosts both U.S. and Russian military bases and its leadership is aiming to cultivate good relations with both powerful countries. Bakiyev spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday and said Russia had promised aid such as seed and fertilizer for the spring planting season.

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