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Wednesday, October 07, 2020, 22:58
Kyrgyz opposition groups make rival power grabs
By Reuters
Wednesday, October 07, 2020, 22:58 By Reuters

A burnt car is seen on the back of a truck as proetsters hold a rally at Bishkek's Ala-Too square on October 7, 2020. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP)

BISHKEK - The Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan slid deeper into chaos as rival opposition factions jostled for power on Wednesday, a day after they stormed government buildings, forcing the prime minister to quit and a parliamentary election to be annulled.

Left isolated by the resignation of Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov’s government late on Tuesday, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov called for all-party talks in a statement on Wednesday, reiterating his willingness to mediate.

Left isolated by the resignation of Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov’s government late on Tuesday, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov called for all-party talks in a statement on Wednesday, reiterating his willingness to mediate

Representatives of eight parties gathered at government headquarters on Wednesday evening to try to iron out their differences, but several large factions were absent while two rival candidates for the premiership emerged.

Two presidents have been overthrown in Kyrgyzstan in the past 15 years, and longtime ally Russia expressed concern as protests spread across the country in the wake of Sunday’s vote.

Kyrgyzstan borders China and hosts both a Russian military air base and a large Canadian-owned gold mining operation.

ALSO READ: Party splits casts shadow over Kyrgyzstan's election

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he hopes the political crisis in Kyrgyzstan will be resolved peacefully and quickly without any losses.

"We hope that a normal democratic political process will be restored. And this should happen as soon as possible," Putin said in an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel.

Russia is keeping in touch with all parties to the conflict and will continue to implement all plans with Kyrgyzstan after the political situation in the Central Asian country returns to normal, he said.

A total of 16 parties took part in Sunday’s election and 11 refused to accept the results, which had handed victory to two establishment groups. As protests grew, the election commission annulled the vote.

The law enforcement agents used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse protesters. As a result of clashes between the police and protesters, 686 people received various injures, and one person died.

At least three distinct groups have now attempted to claim leadership. The first was the Coordination Council set up on Tuesday and largely made up of established political parties opposing Jeenbekov.

Another group calling itself the People’s Coordination Council surfaced on Wednesday, uniting five lesser-known opposition parties whose leaders have not held any senior government positions and calling for a purge of the elite.

Three more parties accepted that group’s invitation to a meeting on Wednesday to work out a joint statement, while 30-year-old businessman Tilek Toktogaziyev said the faction would back him as an interim PM.

READ MORE: Kyrgyzstan annuls parliamentary election results amid protests

Finally, the Ata Zhurt political party has tried to outmanoeuvre competitors by getting parliament to nominate its candidate Sadyr Zhaparov - freed from prison by protesters just hours earlier - for prime minister on Tuesday night.

However, an angry mob then broke into the hotel where parliament convened, forcing Zhaparov to flee through a back door, according to Kyrgyz media. It was not clear when parliament might convene again to confirm him as premier.

Protesters gather in front of the government headquarters on the central square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Oct 6, 2020. (VLADIMIR VORONIN / AP)

Making a late night appearance on television, Zhaparov said he would propose a constitutional reform before holding presidential and parliamentary elections in two to three months.

While opposition parties have made rival claims to power, the establishment parties that claimed initial victory in the election have largely kept quiet, accepting the decision to annul the vote. Jeenbekov has told his supporters not to confront the protesters to avoid escalation.

But the split among opposition parties and power grabs by competing factions have pitched the nation of 6.5 million people into uncertainty. Kyrgyz security forces appeared to avoid siding with any of the factions although their support could eventually help decide the winner.

Rallies by different parties’ supporters continued in Bishkek throughout Wednesday, with minor scuffles reported between backers of rival politicians.

Residents in the capital Bishkek quickly formed vigilante neighbourhood watch units to reinforce police, having suffered during violent revolts followed by looting in 2005 and 2010.

There were also scuffles overnight between vigilantes and protesters who tried to force their way into government buildings or attacked businesses such as shops and restaurants, according to a report by local news website 24.kg.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on all Kyrgyz actors to engage in dialogue and agree on a way forward "within the constitutional framework".

"The secretary-general encourages all Kyrgyz actors to engage in dialogue and agree on a way forward within the constitutional framework. The United Nations stands ready to support all efforts aimed at finding a peaceful resolution of the current situation, including through the United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia," according to a statement issued by the UN chief's spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

"The secretary-general is closely monitoring the situation in the Kyrgyz Republic, where protests erupted yesterday in the aftermath of the Oct 4 parliamentary elections, reportedly leaving one person dead and over one hundred injured," reads the statement.

"The secretary-general regrets the loss of life and urges all involved to exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from violence," it added.


With inputs from Xinhua

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