Kyrgyzstan opposition claims to have seized control of Central Asian country - Financial Times

Opposition groups claimed to have seized power in Kyrgyzstan after protesters broke into the parliament building in the capital Bishkek, in the wake of Sunday’s parliamentary elections they say were rigged.

President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said “political forces” were trying “to illegally seize state power” in the Central Asian country where two of his predecessors have been swept from power over the past 15 years.

Protesters stormed the government headquarters in central Bishkek that houses the country’s parliament and Mr Jeenbekov’s office on Monday evening, according to local media footage that showed people rifling through documents and smoke rising from the building.

Demonstrators also breached the national security headquarters and freed former president Almazbek Atambayev, whose party said it had “overthrown the criminal government”.

Allies of Mr Atambayev said they had taken control of Kyrgyzstan’s interior ministry, national security committee and the city of Bishkek, local media reports said on Tuesday.

Mr Jeenbekov was Mr Atambayev’s protégé when he succeeded him as president in 2017, but the two men fell out and Mr Atambayev was arrested last year after allegedly calling for his successor’s overthrow.

Protesters gather by a bonfire in front of the seized main government building on Tuesday © AFP via Getty Images

The unrest in Kyrgyzstan, which hosts a Russian military base and large natural resource wealth, comes amid widespread turmoil across the former Soviet Union, presenting a challenge to Moscow, the dominant regional power.

The upheaval follows weeks of violence and protest in Belarus against the re-election of strongman president Alexander Lukashenko, and open conflict between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over disputed territories in the Caucasus.

The seized government headquarters on Tuesday © REUTERS

Protests in Kyrgyzstan began following Sunday’s parliamentary election where parties allied to Mr Jeenbekov won the largest share of the votes, a result disputed by supporters of Mr Atambayev.

“The political turmoil reflects strong public disapproval of President Jeenbekov, his government’s handling of the [coronavirus] pandemic, entrenched corruption and the regional north-south divide in the country,” said Kate Mallinson at Prism Political Risk Management.

“Credible reports of vote-buying and voter intimidation in the elections were the tipping point for public mobilisation, as well as the perception that the southerners, close to Mr Jeenbekov, had bought the election,” she added.

One person was killed and close to 600 were injured in the overnight unrest.

“We have taken all possible measures to prevent an aggravation of the situation,” Mr Jeenbekov said in a statement published on the presidential website. “I urge the leaders of political parties to calm their supporters and move them away from the places where they have gathered.”

Mr Jeenbekov said on Tuesday that he had ordered the country’s election commission to “carefully investigate the violations and, if necessary, annul the election results”.

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2020-10-06 08:02:00Z
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