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Kyrgyz opposition to hold protest Kyrgyz opposition to hold protest
(about 2 hours later)
Opposition leaders in Kyrgyzstan plan to hold mass protests on Thursday to call for the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Mass opposition protests are planned in Kyrgyzstan to call for the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
The protest calls came after talks with the president failed to meet all the protesters' demands for reforms they say are needed to end corruption. Thousands of police have been mobilised as opposition supporters gather in the capital Bishkek.
President Bakiyev did promise to curb some of his powers and give parliament and the cabinet greater authority. Earlier, the president rejected opposition calls for immediate constitutional reform, and called for a halt to the protest.
A new draft constitution is due to go before parliament on Thursday. Mr Bakiyev won a landslide victory last year, but his government is accused of failing to curb widespread corruption.
If approved, the cabinet will automatically resign and parliament will form a new one with broader powers. The opposition has been urging him to fulfil his election promises and introduce constitutional reforms that would curtail presidential powers and hand more authority to the parliament and cabinet.
'Not satisfied' They say he promised, in talks earlier this week, to make some constitutional reforms, which he would submit to parliament on Thursday.
But opposition leaders said the president would not agree to most of their other demands, which includes firing top officials accused of corruption and other abuses. But in a short speech to parliament, Mr Bakiyev said any reforms should not be adopted in an "hour or two" and called on the opposition not to "exert pressure" on him.
"We still want his resignation. It [the compromise] looks great only on paper. We are not satisfied," opposition member Melis Eshimkanov said. "I'm not avoiding you, but I have to listen to other lawmakers," he told them. "If you exert pressure through rallies, you will get an adequate response."
A large turnout at the rallies is expected, correspondents say, as people are reportedly descending on the capital Bishkek from across the country. He asked them to cancel the protests and return to the negotiating table.
President Bakiyev won a landslide election victory in 2005, after a popular revolution drove long-time President Askar Akayev from power in the impoverished Central Asian state. Wider repercussions
But people complain they have seen no improvement in their standard of living since then, and accuse the government of failing to tackle what they describe as widespread corruption. But opposition leader Melis Eshimkhanov said Mr Bakiyev "broke his promise again".
"He chose the path of conflict, and the people's only demand will be his resignation," he told the Associated Press.
President Bakiyev helped lead the so-called Tulip Revolution in 2005 that drove long-time President Askar Akayev from power in the impoverished Central Asian state.
But most of his former allies have turned again him, accusing him of failing to tackle corruption and create a government based on democratic principles.
Any instability in the country could have wider repercussions, the BBC's Natalia Anteleva in Bishkek reports.
The only US military base in the former Soviet Union lies just outside Bishkek and is a crucial operation for supplying Nato troops to Afghanistan.