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Kyrgyzstan on the
brink
By Jean-Christophe Peuch
and Gulnoza Saidazimova
PRAGUE -
Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akaev's office said on
Monday the president has suggested that
election officials and the judiciary should
investigate reports of ballot fraud.
The
statement rejects allegations of widespread fraud
in the February 27 and March 13 polls. But it
quotes Akaev as saying the matter should be probed
in those regions where election results have
sparked the most controversy.
The apparent
concession came after Akayev met with Central
Election Commission Chairman Sulayman Imanbaev and
Supreme Court Chairman Kurmanbek Osmonov.
Opposition leaders and many international
observers have described the parliamentary vote as
deeply flawed. The elections handed
pro-presidential forces a commanding majority in
the new legislature.
Scattered protests
broke out in a number of Kyrgyz cities after the
second round, with opposition leaders demanding
that the results be nullified and that new
elections be held. Protesters have also insisted
that Akaev should step down as president.
On Monday, opposition leader Roza
Otunbaeva said Akaev's adversaries remain firm in
their demands. "As of now, there is nothing to
negotiate about [with the government]. We are
demanding that the president resign," Otunbaeva
said.
Otunbaeva made her comments shortly
after reports emerged that protesters had taken
control of regional government headquarters in
Osh, a southern city with a large ethnic Uzbek
population.
The occupation of Osh came
just hours after protesters managed on Monday to
retake the mayor's office in nearby Jalal-Abad.
Kyrgyzstan's AKIpress news agency reported
Monday that demonstrators had also taken control
of Jalal-Abad's airfield, piling stones on the
runway to prevent the central government in
Bishkek from flying in police reinforcements.
There were no immediate reports of
fighting between security or police forces and
protesters, although unconfirmed claims from the
opposition suggested that injuries have occurred.
Jusupjan Jeenbekov chairs the Jalal-Abad
People's Council, an alternative body set up by
protesters. Talking to RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
late Sunday, he said police had shot at
demonstrators.
"Three people have been
injured by police shots," Jeenbekov said. "One was
injured in the neck, another in the leg, and a
third on the hand. One of them had to be sent to
hospital. The condition of the other two is fair,
and they remained with [the protesters]."
Reports that four Jalal-Abad policemen
were beaten to death by angry protesters could not
be independently confirmed. The government has
denied that any violence took place.
Movement spreading
Speaking on
national television on Monday, State Secretary
Osmonakun Ibraimov said authorities have nothing
to hide from citizens. Ibraimov pledged to report
any casualties among either protesters or
law-enforcement agents.
In comments
broadcast on Georgian television on the same day,
Otunbaeva said no one was killed or wounded during
the storming of the Osh administration
headquarters.
"Everyone is safe,"
Otunbaeva said. "The people have taken control of
the [city] administration without a single bullet
being fired, without a single drop of blood being
shed. The people's power has been established."
Otunbaeva said many policemen in both
cities had donned civilian clothing and sided with
the protesters. Her claim could not be
independently confirmed.
In subsequent
comments to RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Otunbaeva
warned that the protest movement would now spread
to other towns and cities: "Nearly half of
[Kyrgyzstan] - the south - is already under our
control. We will move forward."
Law-enforcement officers kept a low
profile as thousands of protesters wandered the
streets of Osh and Jalal-Abad on Monday. The
Kyrgyz government has denied opposition claims
that protesters control both cities. Also,
authorities in the capital Bishkek dismissed
reports that demonstrators have seized the Osh
television station.
Addressing reporters
in Bishkek, former prime minister Kurmanbek Bakiev
suggested President Akaev could resolve the crisis
by entering into talks with his opponents.
"What should be done to find a way out of
the situation? Perhaps our president, Mr Akaev,
has to ripen for talks with the opposition to
resolve that tense situation?" Bakiyev said.
Akaev has repeatedly warned that any
attempt at emulating recent political upheavals in
Georgia and Ukraine could drag Kyrgyzstan into
civil war. He let it be known on Monday that he is
not fundamentally opposed to meeting the protest
leaders.
Speaking live on national
television, presidential spokesman Abdil Segizbaev
said talks involving Akaev are possible. He raised
the possibility of the Kyrgyz president going to
Osh and Jalal-Abad, "if protesters calm down and
coolly assess what has happened."
Prime
Minister Nikolai Tanaev said authorities will seek
a negotiated solution to the crisis.
Breaking into Bishkek
The images
of the protests from Kyrgyzstan recall recent
demonstrations in Ukraine and Georgia. One major
difference, however, is that the demonstrators
have not made progress in the capital Bishkek.
The leader of one of the Kyrgyz opposition
parties, Muratbek Imanaliev of the Jany Bagyt (New
Direction) party, said the situation in Bishkek is
quiet but the momentum for change will grow there
as well.
"In principle, unlike the
situation in the south and some northern
provinces, Bishkek is quiet. But there have been
demonstrations for the last four days. Slogans are
similar to those in the south. I believe this will
continue and become more active," Imanaliev said.
Shifting the protests to Bishkek is likely
to be one of the opposition's goals, according to
David Lewis of the International Crisis Group.
"One possible scenario is that the
situation will become more out of control. At the
moment, it still seems to be under the control of
either the government or the opposition. The
dangerous scenario is that things will become less
controlled by both sides. Maybe, [the opposition]
will try to move the focus of action up to Bishkek
and push for the resignation of Akaev, of course,"
Lewis said.
The demonstrators have vowed
to continue their protests until Akaev resigns.
Although Otunbaeva and Imanaliev have
stated they have no plans to negotiate with the
authorities, another opposition figure, former
prime minister Bakiev, who lost a race for a
parliament seat on March 13, has gone to Bishkek
for talks with Akaev.
But Lewis said it
may be too late for talks, as the government lost
an opportunity to negotiate with the opposition
after the elections and it's not clear if the
protesters now would accept talks.
"I
think [compromise] is difficult now, certainly on
the issue of Akaev. I think it's quite difficult
[because] it's not clear if the opposition can
persuade the protesters to accept a compromise. So
it's not a good situation for any kind of serious
political negotiations to begin," Lewis said.
Lewis also claims the authorities may have
erred by waiting so long to send in the police.
The crackdown, on protesters in
Jalal-Abad, came only on the night of March 19.
Lewis says any reports of death or
injuries would only provoke stronger reactions
from the population.
Although the
opposition claims to have widespread support in
Osh, political analyst Ganijon Kholmatov, who
lives there, says many residents do not support
the demonstrators.
"Unfortunately, the
city's population doesn't support demonstrations,
they rather observe them with dissatisfaction.
Demonstrations are organized and held by
outsiders. The Osh citizens don't participate in
them because most of Osh's inhabitants are those
who get paid from the state budget. Protests will
likely have negative effect on their life, on
their salaries. For the last year, salaries of
teachers, doctors, and artists increased
significantly. It reduced their discontent [with
the government]," Kholmatov said.
Observers say it's important that the
protests remain bloodless - especially in Osh.
Osh was the scene of violent clashes in
1990 between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks and memories
of those events are still fresh.
Copyright (c) 2005, RFE/RL Inc.
Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington DC 20036 |
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