General

Kyrgyzstan opposition forms acting government

After Wednesday’s violent clashes in Bishkek, a “people’s assembly” is formed

Following a day of deadly clashes between police and anti-government protesters, opposition party members announced on state television that they had seized control of the state. A Russian news agency, RIA, reports the opposition as saying that the government had resigned and President Kurmanbek Bakiyev had left the capital. “They came on air and talked about the situation, appealing for calm and appealing for people to protect small businesses and shops from looters,” an Al Jazeera reporter explains. The announcement cames on the heels of deadly clashes in Bishkek, in which at least 40 people were killed and more than 400 others were wounded, according to Kyrgyzstan’s health ministry.

Al Jazeera English

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