EURASIA INSIGHT
Daniel Sershen
11/07/06
The standoff between political forces in Kyrgyzstan turned violent on November 7 when thousands of protesters demanding President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s resignation clashed with a smaller group of Bakiyev supporters in front of the country’s parliament. Later in the day, opposition leaders and the president reached a tentative compromise that could potentially defuse the crisis.
After a late-night meeting November 7, representatives of both sides announced an agreement on a compromise plan for constitutional reform. Under the plan, parliamentary powers would be enhanced, but not to the extent that Kyrgyzstan would be transformed into a parliamentary republic. The compromise plan was to be submitted to parliament on November 8.
Prior to the announcement, government patience with the demonstrations, now in their sixth day and estimated to be attracting crowds of over 10,000, appeared to be wearing thin. In a joint news conference with Prime Minister Feliks Kulov, President Bakiyev charged that demonstrators were attempting to seize power. Kyrgyz National Security Service chief Murat Sutalinov declared that Bishkek’s main square would be cleared of opposition protesters by the end of the night on November 7, media outlets reported.
The warning followed a brief struggle that resulted in several injuries, as opposition protesters moved toward a group of several hundred Bakiyev supporters positioned in front of the parliament building. Across a thin line of police, the two sides threw plastic bottles, and, eventually, sticks and other objects at each other. Backup columns of riot police moved in to separate the two sides, using stun grenades and tear gas to herd opposition supports away. Additional troops, some on horseback or riding in armored personnel carriers, eventually joined the police lines, while opposition supporters retreated to the center of their operations on nearby Ala-Too Square.
A doctor who treated some of the injured said that three had suffered bullet wounds, news agency 24.kg reported. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said 18 people were injured during the incident from stun grenades and other crowd control techniques, but denied that firearms were used, according to AKIpress.
Growing tensions over opposition demands for a new constitution and a string of other changes prompted the clash. On November 6, President Bakiyev met one of the protesters’ demands with the appointment of a new interior minister.
Late on November 6, For Reforms, the opposition coalition leading the protests, called an extraordinary session of parliament to pass a constitution that reduced presidential powers and increased the authority of parliament. Lacking the required two-thirds of deputies to achieve a quorum, however, opposition MPs declared the founding of a so-called "constituent assembly." The parliamentarians claim that, under the law, the assembly can draft a new founding document for Kyrgyzstan based on a simple majority.
There is no precedent for such a body in Kyrgyzstan, and opposition leaders admitted that they had moved into uncharted waters. "Yes, we made up the constituent assembly," said Omurbek Abdurakhmanov, a coordinator with For Reforms. "But the majority of the people support us. We will live under a new constitution."
The push for constitutional reform has been a recurring and increasingly bitter theme of Bakiyev’s turbulent 16 months in office, with critics charging that the government had failed to follow through on promises for sweeping reforms following the March 2005 popular uprising that brought them to power. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].
In response to the opposition’s move, Bakiyev told a news conference on November 7 that he was ready to dismiss parliament, but maintained that he did not welcome the move. "The parliament will find the energy and wisdom within itself to end this situation," Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported him as saying. "If the situation escalates and differences persist, I will be unable to endlessly watch the Bacchanalia."
"There is no reason to panic. Nobody will be allowed to split our nation," he continued.
If parliament adopts the joint plan for constitutional reform, opposition leaders have indicated that the protest in central Bishkek would be disbanded.
Aziza Abdirasulova, the director of the human rights group Kylym Shamy, said that each side needed to begin taking steps towards compromise, or else they risked sparking civil conflict. She particularly highlighted the threat of a regional divide. "At the moment, the mass of northerners support the opposition, but a majority of southerners are loyal to Bakiyev," she said. "If they don’t come to agreement, it could lead to a... confrontation between North and South." As have other local observers, Abdirasulova argued that the government would have to rely on international mediation to bring an end to the conflict.
Local media outlets reported November 7 that significant numbers of Bakiyev supporters were on their way to Bishkek from Bakiyev’s power base in Kyrgyzstan’s South to bolster the pro-government demonstrations. The reports could not be confirmed.
Many shops and businesses in Bishkek’s center, which had reopened after the first day of protests once fears of violence subsided, again shut their doors on Tuesday. The United States embassy has released a statement reiterating its earlier warning to American citizens to avoid the demonstrations.
Editor’s Note: Daniel Sershen is a freelance journalist based in Bishkek.
