Riots in Bishkek, the capital of central Asian state Kyrgyzstan yesterday left the opposition claiming it had seized power. Its leaders announced they had dissolved parliament and appointed new ministers, as it became clear that president Kurmanbek Bakiyev had fled the city.
Bloody clashes with riot police killed as many as a hundred people, according to the opposition, though health officials put the toll at 68. Ex-foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva told Reuters that the opposition had established an interim government.
“It will remain in place for half a year, during which we will draft the constitution and create conditions for free and fair (presidential) elections,” she said.
In addition to the opposition deaths, cars were set alight, ministers were beaten and riot police were driven back by waves of protestors, video reports show. Unrest has been building over corruption, poverty and disillusion with the Bakiyev government that came to power on the back of the “Tulip Revolution” in 2005.
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