Kyrgyz opposition says taken full power; 47 killed in protests (a semi-peaceful revolution)

[FarCenter]

A government formed by opposition in Kyrgyzstan said Wednesday it has taken full power in the country after two days of unrest that left at least 47 people killed, the opposition-nominated premier said.

" Usenov has signed a letter of resignation. Power is fully in the control of the opposition," Rosa Otunbayeva said. "The whereabouts of Bakiyev are unknown."

Otunbayeva said the opposition in the ex-Soviet Central Asian state is not yet forming a new cabinet but has divided areas of responsibility for ruling the country.

Protests, which started in the northwestern Kyrgyz town of Talas on Tuesday, spread to other regions of the country, including the capital Bishkek. Some 400 people were injured, according to health authorities. Opposition leader Omurbek Tekebayev said the death toll was about 100 people.

"Today we went to a meeting with the government so they would lay down their arms and transfer power," Tekebayev, who leads the Ata-Meken opposition party said on national television, which is now controlled by protestors.

He added that special volunteer groups would be set up to ensure order in the country.

<SNIP>http://en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100408/158473967.html

[FarCenter]

1. BBC -- Kyrgyzstan opposition sets up 'people's government'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8608440.stm

[Mari333]

2. whoa check out these pics

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/crisis_in_kyrgyzstan.html

[FarCenter]

3. “Bakiyev was more monsters than Akayev”

http://runewsline.com/2010/03/25/bakiyev-was-more-monsters-than-akayev/

Interview with Rosa Otunbayeva, former foreign minister, who is now the leader.

[David__77]

4. I wish there were better articles getting to the roots of this.

This isn't "color revolution," or doesn't look like it, with the NGOs and foreign forces directing things. I don't really see though how Rosa Otunbayeva will be qualitatively different from the former president. What were the movement's demands? It sounds like they're the basic universal ones that boil down to: "improve our living standards!" But how will this be accomplished? A new constitution sounds good and all, but so much is unclear at the moment. There are weak political movements at present will ill-defined ideologies and politics.