Moscow: Kyrgyzstan’s embattled president said Thursday he was resigning following protests over a disputed parliamentary election, the third time in 15
Moscow: Kyrgyzstan’s embattled president said Thursday he was resigning following protests over a disputed parliamentary election, the third time in 15 years that a leader of the Central Asian country has been ousted by a popular uprising. Protesters in the capital of Bishkek celebrated the decision by President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, but it’s not clear if it will quell the unrest that has gripped the country since last week. The demonstrators quickly demanded that parliament be dissolved and that its speaker, who is next in the order of succession, also resigns. Jeenbekov, who came under pressure to step down from the protests and some opposition politicians including the new prime minister, had dismissed calls to resign only a day earlier. But in a statement released by his office, he said that he feared violence if he stayed in power, noting that protesters were facing off against the police and the military. In this case, blood will be shed. It is inevitable, the statement said. I don’t want to go down in history as a president who shed blood and shot at his citizens. Jeenbekov said the situation in Bishkek remains tense and that he didn’t want to escalate those tensions. He urged opposition politicians to get their supporters off the streets and bring peaceful life back to the people.
