Kyrgyz opposition got ready for a long stay on Bishkek’s central square.
Photo: Igor Kovalenko
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Constitutional Revolution
// Kyrgyz opposition demands that president resign
Kyrgyz opposition began its termless rally of protest on Bishkek’s central square yesterday. Twenty thousand people came out on the streets after President Kurmanbek Bakiev went back on his promise and failed to introduce the draft of Kyrgyzstan’s new constitution to parliament yesterday. The protesters now demand the president’s immediate resignation. Observers say the last year’s scenario might repeat, and the change of authority in Kyrgyzstan might happen again.
Kyrgyz opposition yesterday began its termless rally of protest against the authorities’ inaction. Members of the opposition believe that current authorities have betrayed the ideals of the last year’s March revolution. Nearly twenty thousand supporters of the major opposition movement “For Reforms!”, which unites all political forces who disagree with the current policy, gathered on Bishkek’s central square Ala-Too. Some four thousand regional representatives joined the protesters from the capital in the rally.
At first, the protesters demanded that President Bakiev reform the constitution, form a coalitional government, and create public TV. Before the rally of protest, several rounds of closed talks had been held, and Bakiev had given oral promise to carry out the opposition’s demands. Despite that promise, the president’s opponents decided to wait for all agreements to be carried out, and for the draft of the new constitution to be introduced to parliament right on Bishkek’s central square, in a tent camp.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, Bakiev confirmed his intention to hasten the constitutional reform. However, he asked to wait till November 6. “I consulted heads of committees, members of the government, and I think the president should not be pressed to adopt a constitution immediately. Why are we in a hurry?”, Bakiev tried to justify the breach of previous agreements. This statement made the opposition deputies angry. They called the postponing a “perfidious policy” which might lead to grave consequences.
Bakiev did not engage in the controversy, hurriedly leaving the parliament building through the back door, which caused a wave of indignation among those who protested by the parliament. Their mood quickly passed over to those gathered on the central square.
“We believe that Kurmanbek Bakiev confronted his own nation. We have struggled for talks on the constitutional reform with him for a long time, but we shall wait no more,” said one of the opposition movement leaders Edil Baisalov during the rally of protest. According to Baisalov, Bakiev had promised before the presidential election to demolish the “ugly system of political power created by his predecessor Askar Akaev”, but now Bakiev is clinging to the presidential privileges of Akaev’s constitution. “He again went back on his promise to introduce the compromise draft of the new constitution to parliament on November 2,” resented Baisalov. “The nation feels it was cheated, and can no longer believe the authorities’ hollow words.”
Bakiev received sharp criticism from his former associate in the last year’s March revolution Rosa Otunbaeva. “Yesterday’s state officials who persecuted the opposition are sitting today near Bakiev, yesterday’s thieves have remained in power. Bakiev took Akaev’s chair, and he likes it very much!”, clamored Otunbaeva publicly. “We made a big mistake a year ago. The revolution began in the south of the country, but we never divided the nation into south and north. And now Bakiev appoints his relatives only to the posts in regional governments! We call on the president to resign! Bakiev, leave! You did not carry out your promises! We demand the resignation of the prime minister! Because Kulov didn’t keep his word either!”
Opposition movement leaders summoned an urgent press conference where they announced that now all their demands come down to one thing – the demand for resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiev and Prime Minister Felix Kulov. “The compromise variant of the constitution draft is on the president’s table. Yet, he seems to be unwilling to give up many significant powers,” explained the opposition deputy Kanybek Imanaliev. Another MP, Melis Eshimkanov, agreed: “There will be no more of negotiation process. The president actually went back on his word, and proceeded to confrontation.” After this, 28 opposition deputies signed an address with the demand for the president’s resignation, declaring they stop attending parliamentary sessions until Bakiev leaves his post. The protesters were informed on those decisions right away. “We will be here, together with the people on “Kyrgyz Maidan” until Bakiev resigns,” another opposition leader, Temirbek Sariev, assured the protesters.
The protesters, despite the resistance of law-enforcing officials, managed to put around 70 tents on the east side of the House of Government. Leaders of the rally demanded that the president or the prime minister come out to them. However, both Bakiev and Kulov refused pointblank to talk to the protesters.
Later in the evening, Prime Minister Kulov appeared on the national TV. “Any attempt to destabilize the situation in Bishkek will be severely stopped,” warned Kulov. He underlined that if any illegal actions are taken in Bishkek at night, the organizers of the rally will be under criminal responsibility.
Despite the prime minister’s warnings, the square did not become empty. By the time it got dark, around a thousand people remained there. They intend to spend the whole night out on the street. Opposition movement leaders called on the protesters not to give in to provocations, and hold on till morning. “There are certain forces, I call them “friends” in inverted commas, who are ready to eliminate the democratic space in the center of the SCO. They do not like that we have democracy here, and they don’t like that our country is the only one in the SCO who has such rallies of protest,” warned Edil Baisalov.
Special task force fighters, shield-and-club-armed police officers, and police cadets keep an eye on the protesters. The police did not allow to set bio-toilets on the square, and banned the cars with warm food for protesters.
Meanwhile, the rest of Bishkek prepared for the worst scenario, remembering last year’s March. Businessmen carried goods away from warehouses and stores in advance. Many supermarkets and jewellery shops closed.
The rally of protest will go on today.
Bek Orozaliev, Bishkek
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 03, 2006
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