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Kyrgyz opposition supporters storm govt building in southern city
21/3/2005 18:26

About 2,000 opposition supporters in Kyrgyzstan stormed a government building in the southern city of Osh on Monday, news from Kyrgyz capital Bishkek said.

The crowd entered the regional administrative building without meeting any resistance from the police, the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted law enforcement officials in anonymity as saying.

Earlier on Sunday, thousands of opposition supporters stormed government buildings in the southern town of Jalal-Abad, following protests Friday in nearby Osh, the second-biggest city in the country. At least four policemen were reported dead Sunday in the clashes.

Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev's supporters won a landslide victory in the parliament elections held on Feb. 27 with runoffs in many regions on March 13.

The opposition refused to accept the results and accused the authorities of fraud in the election, demanding Akayev's resignation. Akayev has blamed the opposition leaders for incitinga civil war.

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev vowed late on Sunday to seek negotiations to solve the dispute with the opposition, sayingthat President Askar Akayev and himself were ready to have negotiations with the opposition at any time.



 Xinhua