The Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan slid deeper into chaos as rival opposition factions made grabs for power on Wednesday, a day after they stormed government buildings, forcing the prime minister to quit and a parliamentary election to be annulled.
Left isolated by the resignation of Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov’s government late on Tuesday, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov called for all party talks during an interview with the BBC.
Two presidents have been overthrown in Kyrgyzstan in the past 15 years, and longtime ally Russia expressed concern as protests spread across the country, which borders China, in the wake of Sunday’s vote.
Kyrgyzstan hosts a Russian military airbase and a large Canadian-owned gold mining operation.
PLate on Tuesday, its parliament agreed to nominate opposition politician Sadyr Zhaparov — freed from prison by protesters just hours earlier — for prime minister, but an angry mob then broke into the hotel where it convened, forcing Zhaparov to flee through a back door, according to Kyrgyz media.
On Wednesday morning, the self-proclaimed People’s Coordination Council set up by several opposition parties said it would not recognize Zhaparov’s interim cabinet and was assuming all state powers itself and dissolving parliament. (CBC)