Around 1,000 residents in the northern Kyrgyz city of Talas occupied the regional government building on Tuesday, Russian news agencies reported.

"About 1,000 protesters entered the building of the local government in Talas to meet with the governor. However, he deserted the building," a local government official was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The protesters claimed that they wanted to elect a "people's" governor, the official said.

The report quoted an unnamed official at the headquarters of the opposition Social-Democratic Party as saying that "elections of a people's governor are underway."

However, Talas governor Beishenbek Bolotbekov denied the reports that the opposition had taken over the administration building.

The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry said the situation has soon been under control, reported the Interfax.

"In reality, an unruly crowd of people, many of them drunk, entered the building of local administration and left it some time later," the ministry said.

Officials, prosecutors and policemen were talking to the people and taking measures to ensure stability and public security, the ministry's press service said.

Kyrgyz media reported that people who had seized the building appointed Koisun Kurmanaliyeva as acting governor.

The Kyrgyz opposition is reportedly planning rallies across the country on Wednesday to demonstrate their nonconfidence in the country's leadership.

Kyrgyzstan, where Russia and the United States both have military bases, has been in a state of constant instability since current President Kurmanbek Bakiyev came to power after the so-called Tulip Revolution in 2005.

The opposition has accused Bakiyev of tightening his grip on power while failing to bring stability and economic growth. His party won most seats in parliament in the early December 2007 election after two years of political upheaval.

Go to Forum >>0 Comments