After three days of mass protests against the results of national elections in the Kyrgyz Republic on Oct. 4, the results of the elections have been declared null and void, the Prime Minister has resigned, and the President has fled to an unknown location, after protesters occupied the parliament building, which is also the seat of government. Protests continue, in the midst of a fight over who will form the next government. Kyrgyzstan’s central bank announced today that it has disabled SWIFT and other cross-border money transfer systems, to prevent capital flight while the situation remains unstable.
Kyrgyzstan, a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) of former states of the Soviet Union initiated by Russia, borders China—and specifically Xinjiang on the east—and fellow CSTO member Kazakhstan on the west. The country has rich mineral deposits, but its people are largely poor and divided, creating the tinder for such uprisings. Today’s Wall Street Journal characterization of “resource-rich Kyrgyzstan” as “a stage for competing Russian, Chinese and U.S. interests since independence from the Soviet Union,” neglects, however, to identify the centuries-long role of the British Empire and its “Great Game” in the area.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying today expressed China’s hopes for a solution “through dialogue and consultation,” and added that China “firmly opposes external forces’ interference in the internal affairs of Kyrgyzstan. We hope that Kyrgyzstan will restore stability at an early date and realize national economic and social development.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “we are concerned but hope that all political forces find the ability to work within the framework of the constitution.” He reported President Vladimir Putin had not spoken with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Russia maintains a military base in Kyrgyzstan.
