Opposition Demands President's Resignation
Opposition Demands President's Resignation
A clash between the government and Felix Kulov’s new opposition force could lead to conflict in Kyrgyzstan unless both sides open up a dialogue, according to NBCentralAsia observers.
A new opposition movement headed by the leading politician called United Front for Kyrgyzstan’s Future was officially formed on February 18.
Last week, Kulov announced he was joining the opposition in the hope of “uniting and heading” its forces.
Representatives of the largest opposition group, the Movement For Reforms, who forced president Kurmanbek Bakiev to adopt a new constitution last November by protesting in the streets, have joined the new movement.
In its first announcement, it said that it intends to demand the president’s resignation, claiming that he is no longer legitimate because he broke the Bakiev-Kulov agreement.
After the Tulip Revolution of March 2005, which saw the ousting of then president Askar Akaev in a popular revolt, the main contenders for his job, Bakiev and Kulov, agreed to join forces in the election and divide the two highest posts between them.
In mid-January this year, however, Kulov was rejected by parliament twice as candidate for prime minister. Rather than nominate him a third time, Bakiev replaced him with Azim Isabekov, the current premier.
Toktogul Kakchekeev, spokesman for the general prosecutor’s office, believes that Kyrgyzstan could “even end up in a civil war” unless the authorities and the opposition open up a dialogue immediately.
“The opposition now unites those who occupy quite high positions both in politics and in business. Both they and Kulov can get the backing of the electorate,” he said.
Kanybek Imanaliev, member of parliament and a member of the Movement for Reforms, says there are grounds for demanding Bakiev’s resignation.
“The president has usurped state powers, forcing parliamentarians to adopt the December version of the constitution. He has also breached the alliance [with Kulov], ” he said.
In December 2006, when Kulov resigned suddenly, parliament found itself in a difficult situation. Under the November version of the constitution, the majority party in parliament should form its own government, but as now, no party had an overall majority at the time.
To get round the problem, President Bakiev proposed amending the constitution in December to modify that rule and - his critics suggested - also to expand his own powers.
Kurmanbek Osmonov, head of the constitutional court, warns against demands for the president to step down.
“If we allow a repetition of the events in March 2005, there is a danger that such events will happen again and again. It will become a normal part of politics [in Kyrgyzstan],” said Osmonov.
Just how far the opposition is prepared to go depends on whether the authorities stick to their promises, according to Tamerlan Ibraimov, director of the Centre for Political and Legal Studies. The more disillusioned the population becomes, the more radical the opposition will get, he said.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
A new opposition movement headed by the leading politician called United Front for Kyrgyzstan’s Future was officially formed on February 18.
Last week, Kulov announced he was joining the opposition in the hope of “uniting and heading” its forces.
Representatives of the largest opposition group, the Movement For Reforms, who forced president Kurmanbek Bakiev to adopt a new constitution last November by protesting in the streets, have joined the new movement.
In its first announcement, it said that it intends to demand the president’s resignation, claiming that he is no longer legitimate because he broke the Bakiev-Kulov agreement.
After the Tulip Revolution of March 2005, which saw the ousting of then president Askar Akaev in a popular revolt, the main contenders for his job, Bakiev and Kulov, agreed to join forces in the election and divide the two highest posts between them.
In mid-January this year, however, Kulov was rejected by parliament twice as candidate for prime minister. Rather than nominate him a third time, Bakiev replaced him with Azim Isabekov, the current premier.
Toktogul Kakchekeev, spokesman for the general prosecutor’s office, believes that Kyrgyzstan could “even end up in a civil war” unless the authorities and the opposition open up a dialogue immediately.
“The opposition now unites those who occupy quite high positions both in politics and in business. Both they and Kulov can get the backing of the electorate,” he said.
Kanybek Imanaliev, member of parliament and a member of the Movement for Reforms, says there are grounds for demanding Bakiev’s resignation.
“The president has usurped state powers, forcing parliamentarians to adopt the December version of the constitution. He has also breached the alliance [with Kulov], ” he said.
In December 2006, when Kulov resigned suddenly, parliament found itself in a difficult situation. Under the November version of the constitution, the majority party in parliament should form its own government, but as now, no party had an overall majority at the time.
To get round the problem, President Bakiev proposed amending the constitution in December to modify that rule and - his critics suggested - also to expand his own powers.
Kurmanbek Osmonov, head of the constitutional court, warns against demands for the president to step down.
“If we allow a repetition of the events in March 2005, there is a danger that such events will happen again and again. It will become a normal part of politics [in Kyrgyzstan],” said Osmonov.
Just how far the opposition is prepared to go depends on whether the authorities stick to their promises, according to Tamerlan Ibraimov, director of the Centre for Political and Legal Studies. The more disillusioned the population becomes, the more radical the opposition will get, he said.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
