Kyrgyzstan: Protests Continue, No Sign of Compromise

Facing a second day of protests by a coalition of opposition groups, Kyrgyz government officials revealed evidence that they said proved their opponents were planning a forceful takeover of power. Although no clashes were reported and the capital, Bishkek, remained calm, the heated rhetoric from both sides indicated that compromise was still a long way off.

At a cabinet meeting on the morning of November 3, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Feliks Kulov accused the opposition of preparing a coup, reading from the transcript of an audiotape that allegedly contained the voices of For Reforms! activists discussing a strategy for taking over government buildings. The tape and a companion CD with additional plans were delivered anonymously to President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's security detail.

At a subsequent meeting of parliament, boycotted by the opposition, Kulov stated that "[T]he executive and the government will not allow any attempt to undermine the constitutional order." Both Kulov and Bakiyev have called on government supporters to refrain from holding counter-demonstrations. The Kyrgyz president has pledged to submit to parliament a draft for a new constitution on November 6.

The opposition called the tape a government-organized attempt to discredit them. "The disc with this scandalous recording was given on the condition of anonymity," opposition member of parliament Kubatbek Baibolov told the news agency 24.kg. "No court would ever take it into consideration."

Former parliamentary speaker Omurbek Tekebayev, however, took a different tack. Speaking to reporters, Tekebayev, one of the leaders of For Reforms!, said that the text of the recording largely corresponded with a conversation held in his office about plans for the demonstration, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. Tekebayev, however, claimed that his office is bugged, and charged that the words "seizure [of power], murder, marauding" had been added to the conversation.

Officials have announced that the materials will be sent to Almaty, Kazakhstan to verify their authenticity.

Despite the charges, demonstrators continue to attempt to exert pressure on government officials for change. In the early afternoon a group of several hundred activists left the site of the main demonstration in downtown Bishkek to march to the office of the city's mayor, Arstanbek Nogoyev, adding his resignation to their list of demands. The demonstrators then headed to the offices of Kyrgyz State Television and Radio. KTR, the state television channel, is the only station with nationwide reach, and the opposition claimed that its coverage of the protests was biased.

According to opposition MP Temir Sariyev, he and several of his colleagues were able to secure two 30-minutes blocs on KTR for the opposition to air its views. KTR officials later denied the claim; as of late Friday evening, opposition members had not appeared on state television.

The heart of the protest remained Bishkek's main square, Ala-Too, where the For Reforms! coalition states it will remain until Bakiyev resigns or commits to a range of reforms, including a new constitution. The coalition has organized meals, portable toilets, and scores of tents capable of sleeping more than 600 people. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive.]

For Reforms! announced that ongoing demonstrations had been launched at several district administration offices surrounding Bishkek, as well as in Talas, a town in western Kyrgyzstan and the capital of one of Kyrgyzstan's seven administrative regions. In most cases, the only available estimates of participants in these demonstrations came from the organizers themselves. Government officials on the scene disputed organizers' figures, which ranged from a few dozen to over 1,000 in Talas.

In towns large and small, demonstrations against government policies or government appointees have become an increasingly common aspect of life in Kyrgyzstan since the March 2005 popular uprising that ousted former President Askar Akayev. While many ordinary Kyrgyz worry about what this latest protest will mean for the stability of this poverty-stricken Central Asian state, demonstration organizers maintain that their efforts will continue.

"We think that the critical turning point in the demonstration will come in the next seven days," said Omurbek Tekebayev, one of the leaders of For Reforms!. "If 100 or 1,000 people will demonstrate their solidarity, one way or another that will impact on the country's mood, and it can fundamentally change the political situation