President Askar Akayev told Kyrgyzstan's newly elected parliament yesterday that the opposition was using protests to destabilize the Central Asian nation but that he would not impose a state of emergency.
He said that "criticism of the elections is a great incentive for taking further steps to improve the election process," but rejected the opposition's methods in their weeks-long protests against alleged vote fraud.
"There are extremists and marginalized forces even in Western countries," Akayev said. "Unfortunately, Kyrgyzstan faces such destructive forces. Members of the opposition have made violent attempts to destabilize the situation using force to take over government institutions and block roads."
PHOTO: AFP
Akayev told the 58 legislators who attended the session that their job was to restore order. None of the six opposition members who won mandates in the 75-seat parliament attended Akayev's address.
"So-called colored revolutions go far beyond the limits of law," Akayev said, referring to the so-called Rose Revolution and Orange Revolution that swept Georgia and Ukraine, respectively, over the past two years. "Our domestic revolutionaries are a direct threat to the domestic community and stability."
But he said there was no truth to speculation that a state of emergency was in the offing, vowing
"I am fully committed to not taking such measures," he said.
Akayev's address follows a week of intense protests after a March 13 runoff election that saw the opposition's presence in the 75-member parliament reduced to six seats.
Earlier yesterday, the country's top election official called the disputed ballot "completely valid."
"The elections were carried out in a transparent, democratic, legitimate and open manner," Sulaiman Imanbayev said.
The statement was likely to provide further fuel to opposition leaders, who charge the government rigged the poll in order to pack the chamber with Akaeyv supporters ahead of the presidential election in October.
The 61-year-old Akaeyv, who has ruled for nearly 15 years, has vowed to stand down in the poll.
Yesterday, an Akayev spokesman said the opposition had lost control of the protests which he branded as a putsch attempt by criminals.
"The actions of a third force, well-organized and well-planned, are a putsch, an uprising," Abdil Segizbayev was quoted as saying by Interfax.
"Third forces control the situation in Osh and Jalal-Abad. These are criminal elements linked to drug-trafficking," the official said.
The leaders of the opposition "are right now sitting in their comfortable apartments in Bishkek and are not in the south. They are not controlling the situation anymore."
The opposition, meanwhile, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to "objectively" judge the protests. On Monday, Moscow blasted the demonstrations as "unlawful" actions that deserved condemnation.
The cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad near the border with Uzbekistan have borne the brunt of the demonstrations, which have seen protesters take over several government buildings, police stations and airports.
In front of the governor's office in Osh yesterday, several hundred people sat on the grass, listening to an occasional speech by an opposition activist.
The EU, UN, Washington and Moscow have all expressed concern over the unrest in Kyrgyzstan.
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