"The 'third force', criminal elements connected to the drug mafia, are in complete control of the situation in Osh and Jalal-Abad, and are struggling to gain power," Abdil Segizbayev said, referring to two southern towns where riots occurred in the past several days.

He called the protests "a putsch and a coup" designed by criminals, the Interfax news agency reported.

"The opposition no longer controls the situation," he added.

Meanwhile, the head of Kyrgyzstan's election commission declared that the disputed election which has triggered protests in the south of the country was legitimate.

Sulaiman Imanbayev, chairman of the central election commission,told reporters that the results published in the official gazette validated 69 out of 75 seats elected to the parliament.

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 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 inciting a civil war. Enditem