Kyrgyzstan – Opposition seizes power?

As you may have read, the situation in Kyrgyzstan is very fluid. On Thursday, following two days of riots in which up to 68 people are said to have died, the opposition claimed that it had seized power and that President Kurmanbek Bakiev had fled.

Roza Otunbayeva has been declared the head of an interim government after, so RFE/RL reports, Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov “signed a letter of resignation”, though this is disputed. The report goes on to say that Otunbayeva “would coordinate an interim administration for at least six months until a new constitution is drafted that would pave the way for ‘fair’ presidential and parliamentary elections”. According to eng.24.kg, Otunbayeva is reported as saying that the parliament will be dissolved and that: “As a whole the interim government will be guided by the decree about delegation of power. I want to note that powers of the President and the government will be transferred to the interim government, and the activity of the Central Electoral Commission will be suspended until adoption of a new code on elections”. There is some background information on Otunbayeva here.

In the meantime, President Bakiev’s whereabouts are unknown, though RFE/RL reports that he has sounded a note of defiance. Interestingly, RFE/RL reports that Vladimir Putin spoke to Otunbaeva by phone today in her capacity as the “head of the Kyrgyz government of national confidence”. So, it looks like the former opposition has seized control.

Undoubtedly, Bakiev’s rule was increasingly authoritarian and opposition parties were unable to operate freely. Certainly, he seems to have received little support from the international community in the last couple of days.

In terms of Kyrgyzstan’s semi-presidential status, it is difficult to know what the situation is. The claim from Otunbayeva that there has been a “decree about delegation of power” suggests that the constitution has been suspended. However, it is perhaps too early to tell.

It is worth following the reports at Eurasianet, where there is a lot of information and useful analysis.

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