Opposition supporters rally in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Photo: Sergey Mikheev
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Kyrgyzstan On the Verge of New Political Coup
Thousands of protesters converged on Ala-Too square in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, calling on President Kurmanbek Bakiev to resign. The rallies signal a new political upheaval could be soon staged in the country that is of strategic significance both for Moscow and Washington.
Roughly 6,000 are rallying now to demand Bakiev’s resignation and their number will double, the opposition claims.
The last straw was the government reshuffle. On March 28, Kyrgyz president stripped off authority quite a few top-rank officials, including First Vice Premier Daniyar Usenov, Government Office Chief Tynychbek Tabaldiev, Emergency Minister Dzhanysh Rustembekov, Health Minister Shailoobek Niyazov and Economic Development Minister Sabyrbek Moldokulov.
On March 30, the president OKed resignation of Prime Minister Azim Isambekov and approved Almaz Atambaev to that office.
In Kyrgyzstan, the opposition has been aggressively plotting a coup against Bakiev in the past few weeks, some concessions made by the president notwithstanding.
On April 10, for instance, Bakiev submitted to parliament the bill on new Constitution. Shaped by the working group of Almaz Atambaev, new laws will materially trim president’s authority in Kyrgyzstan.
The bill makes equal all branches of power and will take effect once being sanctioned by legislators, Atambaev specified.
Stable Kyrgyzstan is of vital importance both for Russia and the Untied States, which have air bases in that former republic of Soviet Union. But the nation is torn apart by historic rivalries of the north and the south. Bakiev, who seized power by ousting previous president Askar Akaev through the Tulip Revolution, came from the south, while many opposition leaders are of northern origin.
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