The assault on the White House and the release of the ex-president: a revolution is brewing in Kyrgyzstan

Protesters against the results of the elections in Kyrgyzstan seized the White House, where the parliament and the presidential administration are located, and also broke into the building of the State Committee for National Security and released the former president of the country, Almazbek Atambayev, from arrest. Writes about it New Newspaper.

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The people who seized the parliament building are burning the offices of the deputies and organizing pogroms inside. Some leave the White House with "souvenirs", papers are flying from the windows of the captured White House, and areas of the square in front of the building are engulfed in fire.

According to the press secretary of the current president of the country, Sorronbai Jeenbekov, the head of state worked in the White House until late at night and left the building just before the assault.

Release of the ex-president

Riots after the announcement of the results of parliamentary elections began in the capital of the republic of Bishkek on Monday, October 5. On the night of October 6, citizens broke through the gates, broke into the territory of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) and, as a result of negotiations with counterintelligence, released former President Aslambek Atambayev, as well as former Prime Ministers Sapar Isakov and Jantoro Satybaldiev from the committee's isolation ward, writes with the BBC.

In the summer of 2019, Atambayev was stripped of his immunity and tried to detain him in a case of economic crimes. Law enforcement officers met armed resistance from the ex-president's supporters at his residence, Atambayev himself also met the security officials with weapons in their hands.

On June 23, 2020, Atambayev was sentenced to 11 years and 2 months in prison, he was held in the detention center of the State Committee for National Security.

The published footage shows how the crowd carries Atambayev out of the detention center.

The police practically did not offer any resistance to the participants in the assault; the officers walked out of the building with their hands raised, announcing that “they are with the people.”

In addition, Sadyr Japarov, a former member of parliament who was previously convicted of taking a hostage during a protest in Karakol with demands from the authorities to resolve the issue of the Kumtor gold mine taking into account the interests of local residents and to increase the Kyrgyz Republic’s share in the project, was also released from prison. up to 70 percent.

Rally in the square

Before the storming of the White House, protests took place in the square in front of it. Several thousand people attended the rally in Bishkek. The demonstration was organized by several opposition parties at once, which could not overcome the threshold of 7% of the vote and did not enter the Jogorku Kenesh - the country's parliament. Leaders of political movements and their supporters demand to annul the voting results.

The meeting in the square turned into violent clashes with the police. Protesters used Molotov cocktails and burned and overturned police cars. The security forces responded by firing gas, throwing stun grenades at the crowd and firing rubber bullets.

The protesters intend to remove the country's president, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, from office and demand the adoption of a new constitution. Jeenbekov himself said that “certain political forces” tried to seize power in the country. He claims that the security forces did not shoot at the people storming parliament because he ordered them not to do so.

The mayor of the Kyrgyz capital, Aziz Surakmatov, resigned, and his place was taken by a parliamentary candidate from the opposition Republic party, Zhooshbek Koenaliev. He calls himself “the people’s mayor,” he writes "Today".

Injured

The Ministry of Health reports about 130 victims. Among them are the former press secretary of the president of the republic, deputy of parliament Zhanar Akayev and several policemen.

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“We will not leave, abandoning people. We will stand until the end! There must be a re-vote! Let the clan system and this parliament go away. People don’t disperse, we will stand in front,” Akaev said.

The data on the victims are not updated due to the lack of communication, and doctors are afraid to travel to the city center because of the pogroms. Doctors in social networks report that there are "a lot of wounded" on the streets. According to Yegor Borisov, the head of the resuscitation department of the Bishkek Ambulance Center, the pogromists attack paramedics, beat them and steal the contents of the ambulances.

Parliamentary elections in the country

On October 5, the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections held on October 4 became known, the turnout was 56,5%.

According to statements by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kyrgyzstan, four parties entered the country's parliament. Three of them, local political scientists say, are closely associated with the current political elite. At the same time, none of the known opposition forces has overcome the XNUMX% barrier.

Almost 120 thousand people fought for 2 deputy mandates in the unicameral legislative body of Kyrgyzstan, 107 of them are deputies of the current (sixth) convocation.

Following the announcement of the preliminary results, the heads of the losing parties united in an opposition bloc and called on their supporters to rally in Bishkek, Osh (the country's second largest city) and Naryn (in western Kyrgyzstan). In the capital alone, according to various estimates, about 7-10 thousand demonstrators gathered. Rallies were also held in the cities of Talas and Karakol.

The head of the OSCE observation mission in Kyrgyzstan, Thomas Boserup, said the elections were “overall well organized” but noted that allegations of vote buying “raise serious concerns.”

President will meet with parties

President Jeenbekov said that during the elections all parties received equal conditions for campaigning, but acknowledged that bribery of voters was indeed a problem.

“To eradicate this negative phenomenon, it is necessary to improve the economic condition of the population,” the president’s press service quotes him as saying. “We are working on this, for us this is the main task and goal.”

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According to the latest official data for 2018, 1,6 million Kyrgyzstanis live below the poverty line—almost 27% of the population.

The presidential press service also announced that Jeenbekov will meet with the leaders of 16 parties that took part in the parliamentary elections.

The organizers of the protest action said that provocateurs attempted to storm the White House.

“I didn’t expect so many people to gather. Yesterday there were not elections, but just a performance, and it seems that people are simply tired of such chaos,” says Aibek, one of the demonstrators. “After the results were announced, I simply could not sit quietly at home.”

CEC declared elections invalid

On October 6, against the backdrop of protests, the country's CEC invalidated the results of the parliamentary elections, writes UNNO.

The commission also discussed the issue of a possible self-dissolution.

“I believe that with this election campaign we have discredited ourselves, and therefore the best and most correct decision in this case would be the decision on early resignation,” said CEC member Gulnara Dzhurabaeva.

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