Krygyzstan's capital Bishkek enjoyed its first quiet night Sunday after a three-day unrest following the ouster of President Askar Akayev.

CALMNESS RETURNING

A soft blanket of snow covered Bishkek Sunday, bringing about a wintry weather that helped the police and 2,000 volunteers put a brake to a three-day unrest that sent the city into turmoil. Police and volunteers wearing pink and white armbands guarded on the streets of the capital, claiming that a three-day unrest that followed Akayev's ouster appeared to have subsided.

Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Saturday that he wanted people to make an early return to work the next day to put things in order, it remained unclear to what extent schools, banks and shops, most of which remain closed, will begin to function.

Airports in the southern regional centers of Osh and Jalal-Abad also remain closed.

TWO PARLIAMENTS CONTEND

As the streets have become quieter, the sworn-in of 54 newly elected lawmakers in effect gave the country a second parliament besides the old one which has functioned in the past five years. The inauguration took place in the Kyrgyz parliament building, a move believed to be in defiance of the Supreme Court's decision Thursday to nullify the Feb. 27 and March 13 parliamentary elections and recognize the former parliament as the legitimate legislature.

Felix Kulov, former vice president and current coordinator of the country's law-enforcement agencies, told the meeting that the old parliament's term was terminated automatically after five years. Unexpected results will occur if the old parliament operates out of the five-year term, said Kulov.

"Necessary measures will be taken against any former lawmaker who organizes street protests by his or her supporters," he warned. With two parliaments vying for legitimacy, the political picture in the central Asian country appears all the more complicated, analysts say.

The controversy over the legitimacy of parliament raised concerns that the country's ongoing political crisis might not be solved anytime soon, as parliamentary legitimacy holds the key to a solution that could be accepted by relevant sides.

Analysts say the legitimacy of the acting president, and the cabinet ministers he appointed, will be called into question if the former parliament is found invalid.

OSCE ENVOY ARRIVED

Meanwhile, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) arrived in Bishkek Sunday to promote political dialogue amid an intense battle for power distribution following Thursday's sudden collapse of the old government.

OSCE Secretary-General Jan Kubis was expected to meet Kyrgyzstan's new leadership, including Bakiyev, who was appointed by the former parliament as acting president and prime minister after Akayev fled the country Thursday.

Alojz Peterle, OSCE representative in Central Asia, urged all political forces in Kyrgyzstan to resolve the disputes peacefully."The OSCE wishes that the parties involved are able to use political dialogue in order to get a conclusion for the benefit of all the country," Peterle told the media in Bishkek.

There are also reports that OSCE is now considering sending legal experts to Kyrgyzstan to try to unravel the political conundrum of two conflicting parliaments. But an OSCE representative stressed that the organization will not have a final say in deciding the final winner.