'Leading the Country into a Dead End' Former President Slams Kyrgyzstan's Democracy Plans
People vote in the village of Gornaya Maevka during Sunday's referendum in Kyrgyzstan. Former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has said that the transitional government is "leading the country into a dead end."
Foto: Kovalenko/ dpaFormer Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev may have been ousted as his country's leader in April. Nevertheless, some people in Belarus, where Bakiyev is currently in exile, still refer to him as "Mr President."
They may not be using the title for much longer, however. Over a dinner of lobster and Hennessy cognac in the Belarusian capital Minsk, Bakiyev told SPIEGEL that he was withdrawing from political life. "I will not return to politics," he said. "My presence (in Kyrgyzstan) would not be useful at the moment."
In the interview, Bakiyev also dismissed accusations that he had incited recent ethnic violence in his home country. The riots, which killed up to 2,000 people in the southern city of Osh alone and which displaced hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs, were "not triggered by provocateurs, but by an ordinary brawl at a casino," the former president said.
In a recent SPIEGEL interview, Kyrgyzstan's interim leader Roza Otunbayeva accused Bakiyev's supporters of inciting racial hatred between Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs. "In only two months, we thwarted several coup attempts by the clan of my predecessor Bakiyev," she said. "We are experiencing a new kind of terror: the deliberate stoking of ethnic conflicts."
'Just Like a Woman'
Bakiyev, however, put the blame for the tragedy entirely on the transitional government, saying Otunbayeva had acted "recklessly and irresponsibly -- just like a woman." Otunbayeva has "little political experience" and is "leading the country into a dead end," he said. She is "completely the hostage" of the "powerful leaders of the opposition" who are using her for their own ends, he added, saying that the transitional government is "unfit to govern the country." When they seized power in April, "its supporters carried weapons, not placards, in their hands," he said.
The former president insisted that, although there had always been ethnic conflicts in his country, he had acted to quell racially motivated violence when he was in office. "Before (the transitional government) came to power, there may have been unrest, but not to this extent," he said, explaining that in the past the government had always understood the importance of "putting out these fires as soon as they flare up."
Bakiyev, who came to power in 2005 with Western backing and was deposed in April following deadly street protests, blamed Russia and the US for his downfall. Moscow, he said, had tried to persuade him in early 2009 to close the US military base in Manas near the capital Bishkek, which is an important supply base for the war in Afghanistan. In return, he claimed, Russia had held out the prospect of $2 billion (€1.6 billion) in economic aid. When Bakiyev refused to close the base, Russia dropped him, he said, adding that the Americans had done nothing to protect him. "I would have liked more support," he said. Kyrgyzstan is unique in hosting both Russian and American military bases.
Central Asia's First Parliamentary Democracy?
The majority of people in Kyrgyzstan prefer the new interim government to Bakiyev, however, if Sunday's referendum is anything to go by. On Monday, preliminary results showed that around 90 percent of Kyrgyzstan residents had voted in favor of a new constitution which foresees a parliamentary election in October and which would make Kyrgyzstan Central Asia's first parliamentary democracy. Turnout in the referendum, which the interim government called after Bakiyev was overthrown, was reported to be around 70 percent.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that the referendum, which went ahead despite the recent ethnic violence, was "largely transparent." They did, however, report some flaws that they said would have to be fixed ahead of October's elections.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, speaking after the G-20 summit in Toronto, expressed doubts about the plans, however. "I do not really understand how a parliamentary republic would look and work in Kyrgyzstan," he said. He warned of a "chain of problems" that could fan instability and help "extremist forces" rise to power.
Interim leader Roza Otunbayeva, who will now be inaugurated as a caretaker president, called the vote historic, saying Kyrgyzstan was on the road to "a true government of the people." In her SPIEGEL interview , Otunbayeva praised the parliamentary democracy system, saying it was "in keeping with Kyrgyz traditions and way of life."
'Strong Clans'
Speaking ahead of Sunday's vote, Bakiyev dismissed the referendum and plans for political reform. "There are strong clans and many parties in Kyrgyzstan," he told SPIEGEL. "When the parliament needs to make a decision, it will take months."
Now that he is withdrawing from politics, he plans to start a business in Belarus, Bakiyev said. He has brought the necessary start capital with him from Kyrgyzstan, he said, explaining that he had, after all, "worked for many years." Nongovernmental organizations in the country accuse him of enriching himself while serving as president of Kyrgyzstan.
Bakiyev said that he was currently studying business how-to books in preparation for his new venture. "After all, I have a lot of free time."
