President Appoints Opposition Premier

Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiev has appointed a member of the moderate opposition as prime minister to show he is ready for talks. But NBCentralAsia observers say the only way Bakiev can defuse the political conflict in Kyrgyzstan is by talking directly to Felix Kulov, the former prime minister who now heads the opposition’s radical wing.



On March 29, Prime Minister Azim Isabekov handed in his resignation and Bakiev appointed Almaz Atambaev, one of the leaders of the Movement for Reforms, as his interim replacement.



Bakiev said he will instruct Atambaev to form a government and has submitted his appointment for parliamentary approval.



Isabekov’s resignation came a day after the president refused to support his proposal to sack five ministers to show that the government was ready to compromise with the opposition and consult them before appointing replacements.



NBCentralAsia analysts say that although the appointment of Atambaev as prime minister signals he is ready to make concessions, it will not defuse the current political furore. This is because there is no dialogue between Bakiev and the more radical United Front for a Worthy Future for Kyrgyzstan, of which Kulov is head.



“The fact that Atambaev has been appointed acting prime minister does not create the space for a political consensus between the authorities and the opposition,” said political scientist Tamerlan Ibraimov. “The confrontation will continue until instruments and mechanisms are found for moderating the United Front’s radical demands for an early presidential election.”



Ibraimov says any dialogue should include all the opposition groups including the United Front, which has planned mass street protests for April 9-11 to demand constitutional reform, the president’s resignation and an early election.



According to NBCentralAsia analyst Mars Sariev said: “The president needs to negotiate directly with Kulov now so as to stabilise the situation and achieve a consensus. If Kulov becomes head of a coalition government, then it will become possible to talk about reaching a consensus between the authorities and the opposition.”



Kanybek Imanaliev, who like Atambaev is a member of the Movement for Reforms, is convinced the new appointment will not make any difference. In his view, Atambaev has historically been a Bakiev ally and cannot really be considered part of the opposition.



Atambaev was industry minister under president Bakiev, but resigned in 2006 to join the Movement for Reforms, which staged a number of rallies in November, forcing Bakiev to change the constitution.



However, some observers say Atambaev’s appointment means that the opposition’s demand for a coalition government has been met.



“The president is doing everything to preserve peace and stability in the country,” said member of parliament Dooronbek Sadyrbaev. “If the opposition doesn’t take reciprocal steps towards compromise, concessions, it will be responsible for the consequences.”



In early March, President Bakiev sacked the prosecutor general Kambaraly Kongantiev, seen by the opposition as a hardliner against critics of the authorities.



On March 26, Bakiev met another opposition demand by signing a decree to transform the state television and radio company into a national broadcasting corporation led by a supervisory board, most members of which will be selected by parliament and the public.



Political scientist Aleksandr Knyazev says these concessions show the authorities are willing to negotiate - a fact the opposition should welcome.



Nevertheless, member of parliament Kubatbek Baibolov, who represents the Movement for Reforms, has said that neither his movement nor the United Front will nominate any candidates for the coalition government headed by Atambaev.



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)