Eurasia Insight:
KYRGYZ PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT STRUGGLES TO CONSOLIDATE AUTHORITY
3/30/05

The resignation of Feliks Kulov as Kyrgyzstan’s security coordinator stoked concerns in Bishkek about the provisional government’s cohesiveness. Speculation about infighting reached the point on March 30 that the head of the new leadership team, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, felt compelled to deny the rumors.

Kulov, one of the most influential politicians in the provisional governing coalition, announced at a news conference that he was leaving the country’s law-enforcement coordinator after less than a week on the job. When pressed for a reason for his departure from office, Kulov said that he had already accomplished his main task – the restoration of order in Bishkek after President Askar Akayev’s ouster from power on March 24 and the subsequent looting rampage. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Kulov’s action caught many observers in Bishkek by surprise, even though he had sent signals immediately after his appointment that he would do so. Some observers suggested Kulov would now concentrate on winning a formal acquittal of the abuse-of-power charges that led to his jailing in 2001. Protesters freed Kulov from prison on March 24 after the sacking of the presidential palace. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Kulov has always maintained that the charges against him were politically motivated – designed to prevent him from challenging Akayev for the presidency. Securing exoneration would clear the way for Kulov to play a prominent political role in the future.

Throughout the chaotic transition, Kulov has been a forceful advocate of the rule of law. On March 30, for example, Kulov cautioned against any hasty attempt to revise privatization deals done during the Akayev administration. “If somewhere there were mistakes made during the privatization of state assets, these deeds should be reviewed by the courts. We cannot permit the unauthorized expropriation of the expropriators,” he said.

Some local observers have suggested that Kulov – who has a broad background in Kyrgyzstan’s security services and served in a variety of governmental posts under Akayev -- might run for president in the election now scheduled for June 26. In an interview broadcast March 27 by Pyramid television, Kulov sought to deflect attention away from his possible presidential ambitions by describing Kurmanbek Bakiyev – the provisional government’s head and a potential presidential rival – as a fine leader. “Those voting for him would not be making a mistake,” Kulov said.

A source familiar with Kulov’s thinking indicated that the he was leaning towards deferring to Bakiyev in the contest for the presidency. Kulov reportedly recognizes the need to have a southerner, like Bakiyev, occupy the presidency in order to redress the widespread complaints aired by residents in southern provinces that they were victims of political and economic discrimination during Akayev’s administration. In any event, Kulov is said to want to remain an active and influential player in Kyrgyzstan’s political future.

Concerning possible motivations for his resignation, some observers suggested that Kulov’s action was an expression of displeasure over the appointment of Tashtemir Aitbayev as chairman of the national security service. Aitbayev is reportedly a long-time political antagonist of Kulov’s.

Other analysts said Kulov could be taking calculated step to disassociate himself from the provisional leadership so as to avoid any blame for mistakes made during Kyrgyzstan’s tumultuous and constitutionally questionable transition. One issue that has quickly emerged as contentious is the provisional government’s personnel policy. For example, Adakhan Madumarov – who was a prominent figure in the anti-Akayev opposition -- characterized the personnel policy as unlawful. “Today a minister is appointed and then two days later he is replaced,” Madumarov said at a March 30 news conference. During the news conference Madumarov declared his intention to run for the presidency.

A day earlier, MP Zhantoro Satybaldiyev said that “the unauthorized distribution of governmental offices, including the heads of regions, the mayors of cities and even simple bureaucratic portfolios was occurring” in Kyrgyzstan’s provinces, the AKIpress news agency reported. He called on the provisional government to take immediate steps to put an end to what he described as action tantamount to an “anti-constitutional coup.”

Bakiyev has acknowledged that the massive redistribution of power in the provinces is a problem. He called on provincial leaders to help bring order to personnel policy. “I am not trying to intimidate, but I state officially that I will bring everybody to book [for procedural violations] regardless of their status and the posts that they hold,” Bakiyev said March 28 after being confirmed as interim prime minister by Kyrgyzstan’s unicameral legislature.

On March 30, Bakiyev in a live television broadcast sought to dispel rumors that the provisional government was hampered by infighting, insisting such speculation “does not correspond to reality.” He admitted that “disputes existed” among those in the provisional leadership, but said government members were able to harmonize differences of opinion through “discussions and negotiations,’ the Kabar news agency reported.

Bakiyev also moved to address controversy involving government-controlled mass media outlets, in particular state television and radio. On March 28, employees at state television issued a statement that criticized the provisional government’s appointment of a new leadership team as “premature and thoughtless.” In his televised comments, Bakiyev suggested that the appointments were open to revision. He also stressed the need for mass media to be free of pressure from officials, Kabar said.