Dispatches from Kyrgyzstan

RIA Novosti–Opposition Forces Akayev To Ask People For Support

BISHKEK, March 11 (RIA Novosti) – The Kyrgyz opposition could force President Askar Akayev to ask the people to back his presidential ambitions, said Kyrgyz press secretary Abdil Segizbayev Friday. Mr. Segizbayev was addressing journalists regarding oppositionists who had formed the Coordinating Council of People’s Unity.

The Coordinating Council cited as top priorities Mr. Akayev’s resignation, holding early presidential elections, abolishing voting results from the first round of parliamentary elections and holding new elections in six months.

“In 2002, the opposition already forced the president by way of a referendum to ask the people to support his powers. Mr. Akayev’s presidential term is ending this fall. What are they doing? Do they want the president to extend his powers?” Mr. Segizbayev said.

Mr. Akayev’s has repeatedly said that he does not intend to change the country’s constitution in order to extend his powers.

According to Mr. Sigizbayev, the US Congress drafted a resolution recommending the republic’s leadership to alter the law in order to delimit powers, after being prompted by Kyrgyz oppositionists.

“The opposition set up the US Congress by providing it with false information,” he said during the February 27 parliamentary elections, noting that a 2003 referendum changed the country from a presidential to a presidential-parliamentary republic.

In keeping with Kyrgyz legislation, changes to the constitution can only be made after a parliamentary decision and the holding of a national referendum.

Though I’m sure the timing is simply a coincidence, it’s worth noting that the Paris Club just slashed and restructured Kyrgyzstan’s debt. That’s something that Kyrgyzstan certainly needs, but I have to wonder why the decision couldn’t be put out as a carrot to be exchanged for an ironclad guarantee that Akayev stick to his promise not to run for president again.

Kyrgyzstan’s Ambassador to the United States is a little upset about reporting on his country.

The main criticism of some monitors, particularly those favoring the opposition, involved the disqualification of certain candidates before the vote and the shutting off of electricity to the independent printing press (owned and funded by the U.S. government) that prints the vast majority of opposition material – from inflammatory newspapers to a manual on “how to defeat dictators.”

But most of the candidates in question – whether they were progovernment, antigovernment and independent – were disqualified by courts after being sued by other contenders. Kyrgyzstan’s courts made decisions independently, and the Akayev administration had nothing to do with their decisions.

A few candidates, especially the outspoken Roza Otunbayeva, were disqualified in accordance with Kyrgyzstan’s Constitution and longstanding laws. Even Lubomir Kopaj, the OSCE ambassador, acknowledged that as much as he supported the positions of the disqualified candidates, “there are laws in this country, and I think the law has to be respected.”

It will be up to the new Parliament to re-examine the law if it sees fit.

As for the printer, I would like to note that the Kyrgyz government approved its operation (only Russia and Armenia permit such printing houses among former Soviet states).

Which, as far as the Freedom House press is concerned, means “It should be enough for you that we let you open the damned thing in the first place. It’s not like you can go around using it all the time.” Notice too that there is no mention of the shutdown of Radio Free Europe’s Kyrgyz service. He seems to be saying — fairly nakedly at that — that his government’s position on freedom of the press is that there shouldn’t be one in Kyrgyzstan.

On his point about the law and the disqualification of candidates. Well, I too am a fan of the rule of law. When a law appears to be crafted so as to exclude certain people from the electoral process that the government is especially worried about, then I’m no big fan of the law. The most disturbing thing about that law is that it almost guarantees that the elites that come to power in Kyrgyzstan are beneficiaries of Akayev’s rule and patronage. A horrendous law for a wonderful country.

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