Decisions of Talas, Naryn, and Issyk-Kul regional administrations sparked protest actions in Kyrgyzstan on the eve of the parliamentary election slated for February 27. District courts there received complaints from some unidentified persons and annulled registration of some candidates for deputies of the parliament blaming the latter for attempts to bribe voters. In one of the districts of the Talas region registration of a rival of First Lady Mairam Akayeva was annulled on this pretext. Candidates for deputies in the Naryn region fell victim of a similar trick.

As a result, at least 6,000 supporters of the two politicians whose registrations had been voided by district courts blocked the road between Naryn and Bishkek. Yurtas (tents) were erected right on the road, delivery of hot meals to the site of the protest organized. Organizers of the protest action maintain order and demand explanations from the local authorities. Several thousand protesters closed the strategic road between Bishkek and the Chinese border that same day. 7,000 protesters more assembled in front of the district administration waiting for the local top brass. Naryn Governor Medetbekov came out to talk to the protesters, was shouted down, and left for the regional center together with the district administrator several hours later. Kurmanbek Bakiyev, one of the opposition leaders and ex-premier of Kyrgyzstan, was met by the protesters with much more sympathy - particularly when he said that the protest action had the opposition's support.

It should be noted that the candidates whose registration was voided are not activists of the opposition. They are former officials like Zheenbekov, ex-head of the State Property Foundation. All of them are quite popular but all of them have enemies on the regional and local levels, and these enemies have their own proteges they want in the parliament. Eyewitness testimony indicates therefore that even whoever did not belong to the opposition until now is joining its ranks these days.

Surprisingly, but the authorities of the republic have withheld comments so far. Local observers venture two explanations of that silence: the regime is either demoralized, or it plans some radical countermeasures. A command exercise of the national army and security structures took place in Kyrgyzstan a month ago. The involved units and structures drilled their actions when the state of emergency was introduced in the country to prevent mass disturbances during elections. Everything was unusually quiet in Bishkek yesterday - no pickets or demonstrations.

On the other hand, over a dozen newspapers printed by the Media Support Foundation established with the help from the US Department of State and Freedom House in 2003 never saw the light of the day, yesterday. The printing plant found itself without electricity. For the time being, its Director Michael Stone does not ascribe power outage to President Askar Akayev's threats to sue independent newspaper Moya Stolitsa - Novosti (MSN) printed there.

Akayev appealed to the people for support last week and complained against MSN which he said had been spreading lies about the president's family, his wife and children. Akayev's patience ran out when he saw an article in the newspaper with a photo of the palace built in Bishkek outskirts on the territory of 10 hectares that allegedly belonged to the First Lady.

State Secretary Osmonakun Ibraimov backed his patron in a TV show attended by the "pick of the crop of the national intelligentsia". Scientists, writers, and doctors condemned MSN, demanded that the authorities "destroyed and burned" the newspaper, and kicked its editors from the country. Akayev has not appealed to courts yet. Kyrgyz human rights activists suspect that the president was reminded that another incident like what already happened a decade ago (when the prosecution he initiated eventually closed Svobodnye Gory newspaper of the opposition) would certainly smear his image of a democrat.

US Ambassador Stephen Young made a symptomatic statement on February 21. "Akayev's decision not to run for presidency again will put him in history books as one of the founders of democracy in the country," the diplomat said. "Failure of the election in Kyrgyzstan to meet democratic standards and requirements will affect relations between the United States and Kyrgyzstan and relation between Bishkek and the rest of the world."

Vremya Novostei, February 24, 2005, p. 5

© Translated by Ferghana.Ru