Kyrgyzstan elections annulled after protesters break into parliament building
By Isabelle Khurshudyan,
Vyacheslav Oseledko AFP/Getty Images
MOSCOW — Kyrgyzstan’s parliamentary election results from over the weekend were annulled Tuesday by the election commission hours after protesters claiming the vote was rigged broke into the country’s White House, which houses both the presidency and parliament.
The unrest is the latest to flare along the borders of regional powerhouse Russia, following protests disputing election results in Belarus and the reigniting of a 30-year-old conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Footage appeared to show parts of the parliament building in the capital of Bishkek on fire early Tuesday, and the front steps were littered with papers that opposition supporters had thrown from the building.
Demonstrators also breached the national security headquarters and freed former president Almazbek Atambayev, whose party said that the people have “overthrown criminal authorities.”
Atambayev was sentenced to a lengthy prison term this year on corruption charges after a falling out with President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, who succeeded Atambayev in 2017.
Opposition groups have also claimed to have seized other government buildings, including the Interior Ministry and the mayor’s office. Bishkek’s mayor resigned Tuesday morning, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
The president, however, said he remains in control with no plans to relinquish power.
“Last night, certain political forces tried to illegally seize state power. Using the results of the elections as a pretext, they disrupted public order,” Jeenbekov said Tuesday, adding that he “invited the Central Elections Commission to thoroughly investigate all violations and annul the election results, should such a need arise” — an action they have since taken.
The protests erupted after parties allied with the pro-Russian Jeenbekov won the largest share of votes in a result the opposition has said was achieved through vote-buying and intimidation. International monitors have described the allegations as credible.
On Monday, thousands protesting the election in Bishkek were dispersed by police with stun grenades, tear gas and water cannon. One person was killed and 590 were injured in the clashes, according to the government.
Jeenbekov said he had ordered security forces not to open fire on protesters.
The Central Asian country, which hosts a Russian air force base, saw similarly major uprisings in 2005 and 2010, and both revolts toppled the presidents in power at the time.
Members of the incumbent Kyrgyz parliament planned to gather for an emergency meeting on Tuesday, parliament speaker Ibragim Nurakun uulu said on Facebook, adding that they would meet at a hotel because the parliament building “had been trashed.”
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