Protestors storm Kyrgyzstan government buildings
Thousands of people stormed three government buildings in Kyrgyzstan today, forcing security forces to flee, in the latest in a wave of protests to demand the resignation of Soviet-era President Askar Akayev.
The biggest rally, with about 15,000 people, was in the southern city of Jalal-Abad.
Protesters dumped stones on the runway at city’s airport, making it difficult for security forces to rush in reinforcements.
In the Central Asian nation’s second city of Osh, about 1,000 protesters - armed with clubs and flammable liquid and chanting "Akayev Go!" - took control of the governor’s building.
The protesters then grew in number to about 2,000 and overran the regional police and security stations in the city, 186 miles south of the capital Bishkek.
Those buildings had been largely evacuated by officials who were anticipating the takeovers.
Protesters gathered on the city’s main square and burned a billboard picture of the president.
“This is a new day in our history,” said Omurbek Tekebayev, an opposition official. He said the opposition would create alternative government bodies throughout the country.
The opposition was also occupying government buildings in eight other cities and towns.
President Akayev’s aide Abdil Seghizbayev said security forces would not take action against the protesters, but said peace talks would only be possible after order is restored in the country.
Kyrgyzstan’s opposition parties have long been fractured and have resisted moves to unite them.
With pressure on Akayev to step down, rival opposition leaders are positioning themselves to be seen as a possible successor.
The unrest began early this month in protest at alleged fraud during February’s general election that European nations and the US said were seriously flawed, a charge denied by the government.
The opposition also has charged that Akayev, who is prohibited from seeking another term, planned to manipulate the vote to gain a compliant parliament that would amend the constitution to allow a third term. The 60-year-old leader has denied wanting another term.
Some analysts have suggested Kyrgyzstan is ripe for an outburst of mass protest similar to the peaceful revolutions that have swept two other former Soviet republics over the past two years: Georgia and Ukraine.
Akayev, who has led Kyrgyzstan for 15 years, was long regarded as the most reform-minded leader in ex-Soviet Central Asia and the country won praise for its comparative openness.
But the leader in recent years has shown increasing signs of cracking down.
