Kyrgyzstan: Presidential Candidate Field Narrows

The former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, Felix Kulov, will not stand against current President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in upcoming presidential elections. Kulov, who was released from prison in March 2005 to become Bakiyev's prime minister, said his political party Ar-Namys would not field a candidate in polls scheduled for July 23.

In a statement released March 30, Kulov claimed running against his former political partner would destabilize the country. "In this time of intensifying political and economic crisis, and given that a not small part of the population is in the mood for protest, we are concerned that the situation might reach the point of conflict during the election campaign," he said.

Kulov, a Russian-speaking northerner, also said he feared exacerbating a north-south divide. "Frankly speaking we have to say that the division of people along south and north is continuing to take place. It's getting more complicated due to the radicalization of some religious ideologies," he added.

The United People's Movement, an umbrella organization of opposition parties, will meet April 2 to discuss the possibility of putting forward a single candidate to challenge Bakiyev. However, observers say the disparate movement is finding it hard to reach a consensus on campaign tactics.