Hotspot of tension in Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan plunged into chaos

The epicenter of a new crisis emerged this time in Central Asia, specifically in Kyrgyzstan, after the results of the legislative elections that were held last Sunday, resulting in the victory of the parties of the authority, who are affiliated with President Surunbay Genbekov, who is loyal to Russia. A crisis similar in terms to what happened in Belarus, after Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth presidential term, but it seems destined for deeper chaos, in light of the vacancy left by the resignation of the prime ministers and parliament, and the ongoing struggle between the fractured opposition wings to take power.In parallel, it seems that mobile crises will continue to haunt Russia. From Belarus to the battles of the South Caucasus as well as the pressure exerted by the European Union in the case of poisoning opposition Alexei Navalny. Moscow is monitoring the crisis of its ally, Bishkek, which is reminiscent of what happened in 2005 and 2010 when the two presidents were overthrown at the time, especially that Russia has a military base in the republic neighboring China, which has a population of 6.5 million. While seeking to distance itself from what is happening in the Asian country, Russia hopes, according to its president, Vladimir Putin, for a “peaceful” settlement of the political crisis in Kyrgyzstan, whose president is facing pressure after the cancellation of the legislative elections results and the release of the opposition from his political opponent, former President Almaz Bey Atambayev. The Russian President stressed that “(we) are in contact with all parties to this conflict, and I hope that after the internal political situation returns to normal, we will continue implementing all our plans with Kyrgyzstan.

Sixteen parties participated in the parliamentary elections and 11 of them refused to accept the results

Kyrgyzstan has descended into further chaos as rival factions of the opposition attempt to seize power. After a chaotic night in the capital, Bishkek, when protesters affiliated with the opposition parties stormed government headquarters, and the subsequent resignation of the government of Prime Minister Kubat Bey Borunov and Parliament Speaker Dstanbek Jumabekov, and the cancellation of the results of the parliamentary elections, the efforts to calm down did not succeed in restraining the protesters who were released. Prominent figures from the opposition, including former President Almaz Bey Atambayev, and populist nationalist politician Sadr Jabarov, head of the Mekenshel party who declared himself prime minister less than 24 hours after his release. Jabarov was declared acting prime minister during an extraordinary parliamentary session held in a hotel after the protesters took control of the parliament building, while eight opposition parties, whose representatives met at government headquarters to resolve their differences, proposed that Telek Toktakaziev, the 29-year-old contractor, take over the leadership of the interim government. Until new elections. There is no indication on the horizon whether Genbekov, who has not appeared in public since the outbreak of the unrest, intends to endorse Jabbarov’s appointment after Borunov’s resignation. Jabbarov said that the head of state should resign in order to “settle the situation,” describing the meeting of the opposition parties in the prime minister’s office as “anti-revolutionary”, and hinting at the possibility of a worsening of the situation.
Sixteen parties participated in Sunday’s elections, while 11 of them refused to accept the results that showed the control of two pro-presidential parties, Peremdik and Menikim Kyrgyzstan, over the 120-seat parliament, and the exit of three parties that did not cross the threshold. As the protests increased, three parties announced their leadership, at the forefront of which was the “Coordination Council”, which was established on Tuesday and includes existing political parties opposing Jinbekov. The day before yesterday, another faction called itself the “People’s Coordination Council” appeared, formed by five smaller opposition parties, whose leaders did not assume any major government positions, and called for the purification of the elite, after it refused to recognize Jabarov’s interim government, declaring that it assumed all state powers and dissolved Parliament. Despite the opposition parties’ competition for power, the parties associated with state institutions, which were declared victorious in the elections, remained silent, after Jinbekov called on his supporters not to confront the protesters in order to avoid escalation.

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America “with the people”

The United States urged all parties in Kyrgyzstan to exercise restraint and find a peaceful solution to the crisis, expressing concern about practices that marred the elections and led to the protests. The US State Department, through its spokesperson, called on all parties to “renounce violence and resolve the conflict over the elections by peaceful means,” noting that a monitoring mission supported by the “Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe” concluded “credible information about the purchase of young votes. The election”. The spokesman added: “The Kyrgyz people must make decisions regarding their future, the formation of their government, and how to organize and date the elections,” affirming Washington’s support for the sovereignty of the Kyrgyz people and the democracy of governance in the country.

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