Opposition leader appointed as Kyrgyz president
25/3/2005 17:20
Kyrgyz opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev said on Friday that he had been
named acting president as well as prime minister, reports from Kyrgyz capital
Bishkek said. Bakiyev, who is deputy head of the People's Movement of
Kyrgyzstan, said he was appointed as both acting president and prime minister by
the deputies of the Central Asian country, which shares borders with China,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. "Parliament today appointed me prime
minister and gave me the functions of president," Bakiyev told crowds of
supporters in the capital Bishkek. "I now exercise the duties of prime
minister and president," he said. The opponents in this small Central Asian
country started gathering after the Feb. 27 parliamentary election, alleging the
poll was flawed. Rallies escalated after the March 13 run-offs, with opposition
taking control of government buildings and airports in some southern regions and
banks looted in demonstration-turned riots. On Thursday, protesters broke the
security line and stormed into the White House, the seat of the
government. There were confusing reports about the whereabouts of Kyrgyz
President Askar Akayev.
Xinhua
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