Kyrgyz President Otunbayeva refuses participating in upcoming fall elections

[News_Editor]

Kyrgyz President Otunbayeva refuses participating in upcoming fall elections

2011-02-22 00:23:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva on Monday said that she will not participate in the upcoming fall presidential elections, 24.kg news agency reported.

"I am grateful to people who offered to prolong my mandate as the head of the state. But all of us must be equal to the law and I am not going to propose myself for upcoming presidential elections," said Otunbayeva.

Last April, Otunbayeva was designated as president for transitional period after the ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. The designation of Otunbayeva was followed by large-scale opposition protests.

On June 27, the Central Asian republic held a referendum that turned it from a presidential to a parliamentary republic. The current Kyrgyz president added that her government needs to demonstrate a peaceful transfer of power within the law.

In October, a new parliament was elected in Kyrgyzstan, and Almazbek Atambayev was appointed the new prime minister. Atambayev was also PM in 2007 during the government of Bakiyev.

In addition, the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, Respublika party and Ata-Meken party agreed on forming a coalition government. In the October parliamentary election the parties came second, fourth and fifth respectively.

The parliamentary election was the first held in Kyrgyzstan since the Arpil mass uprising that resulted in the demotion of Bakiyev after he was accused of ordering the assassination of 85 opposition protesters during a rally.

During Bakiyev's presidential term, nearly 400 people were killed after inter-ethnic violence arose in the southern areas of Kyrgyzstan. Most of the individuals killed were minority Uzbeks.

The deadly confrontations affected nearly half a million people, displaced about 400,000 and many more fled to Uzbekistan while former leader Bakiyev fled to Belarus.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-02-22