Protests topple Kyrgyz government, Roza Otunbayeva takes charge

Surrounding Otunbayeva are other longstanding members of Kyrgyzstan's political elite, including the powerful former security chief, and ex-premier Felix Kulov, who leads the Ar-Namys opposition party. Mr. Kulov told journalists on Thursday that Bakiyev has to resign and be put on trial for the killings of protesters during the rebellion. "There can be no doubt that the order to shoot to kill was given by President Bakiyev, who controlled all law-enforcement organizations in the country. Dozens of our compatriots were killed and hundreds wounded."

The revolt was spawned by a combination of factors, experts say. Unemployment in Kyrgyzstan has skyrocketed in the past year as tens of thousands of "guest workers" in Russia have lost their jobs and been compelled to return home. Prices for staples and energy have grown sharply, while an allegedly rigged presidential election last year, which gave Bakiyev 76 percent of vote, severely tarnished the credibility of Kyrgyzstan's political system.

Corruption, favoritism triggered coup

But corruption and favoritism in the president's immediate circle appear to have the been the trigger that brought established leaders like Otunbayeva and Kulov into the conspiracy to overthrow Bakiyev, experts say.

"We're talking about nepotism on an unprecedented scale," says Mr. Malashenko. "Bakiyev concentrated all power in the hands of his family, basically everything was controlled by his six brothers and two sons. One of his sons, Maksim, basically runs the whole economy. There was no room in that setup for anyone else."

Russian news agencies reported that unrest was continuing in Bishkek and other Kyrgyz cities on Thursday, while Otunbayeva warned that the ousted president was holed up in Osh, trying to rally support for a comeback.

"We have more than enough force to deal with this," Otunbayeva told Ekho Moskvi. "Bakiyev is now in Osh and in Jelalabad, in the south of the country, trying to consolidate the electorate in his support. These questions cause concern, but we are in control of the situation."

"We have no doubt that this [revolt] was a popular social protest" caused by the poor governance of Bakiyev, says Alexei Ostrovsky, head of the Russian State Duma's committee that oversees the affairs of the post-Soviet region. "We don't see any danger of an Islamist regime emerging, or any other extremism. The best way out now would be compromise, and international mediation, and Russia is ready to take part in that."

IN PICTURES: Kyrgyzstan coup

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