United States and Russia want to avoid political disorders in the country.

Bishkek (AsiaNews) – "This is just a power struggle among ruling clans and cliques," a Central Asia expert said about the latest demonstrations in Kyrgyzstan.

Groups opposed to Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev are challenging the March 13 election results which saw only 6 of their candidates elected to the country's new 75-membre parliament.

Protests began in the south and spread north to the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. This morning about 7,000 people marched in the streets of the city shouting anti-Akayev slogans and calling for his resignation.

To cope with the situation the President recently appointed Bishkek's Police Chief Keneshbek Dushebayev to the post of Interior Minister.

Since taking over his duties, Dushebayev has made contradictory statements. Initially, he said: "Our primary task is to restore constitutional order in all regions, but strictly in accordance with the constitution. [And] the law gives us every right to take action, including using physical force, special means and firearms." However, the Minister later stated: "I will never give an order to use arms against peaceable people".

According to the Central Asia expert who spoke to AsiaNews on condition of anonymity, "the protests in Kyrgyzstan are not inspired by Islamic fundamentalism. If they were the government, with US and Russian backing, would not hesitate from using as much force it felt necessary. Fear of Islamic extremism is great in Central Asia."

If there were actually 7,000 people in the streets in Bishkek, this represents "a great number in a country of five million people who are traditionally passive and very deferential vis-à-vis the established authorities," the expert said.

Like other ex Soviet Republics, Kyrgyzstan lacks "political traditions that could give rise to liberal or popular parties that might stand up to presidents who inherited power from Soviet times," he added.

"Current presidents and opposition leaders were trained in the schools of the Communist Party during the Soviet era. Therefore, there is not much difference among them." In fact, Akayev is not very representative of his fellow presidents of ex Soviet Republics since he did not start out his professional career "as a politician but was instead a scientist".

"Now," the Central Asia expert contends, "what is important is how the US and Russian will react to such street protest" since both have military bases in Kyrgyzstan. Indeed, USAF Base in Manas was used in the operations to topple the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

"I don't think the US will back the demonstrations nor will it support any Ukrainian- or Georgian-style revolution", the expert said. (LF)

• kyrgyzstan
• demonstrations
• protests
• opposition
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• democracy
• islam
• fundamentalism