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Kyrgyz opposition to hold protest Kyrgyz protesters call for reform
(about 1 hour later)
Mass opposition protests are planned in Kyrgyzstan to call for the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Opposition protesters are gathering in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for a rally to demand the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Thousands of police have been mobilised as opposition supporters gather in the capital Bishkek. Thousands of police have been mobilised in the city, with both sides warning of possible confrontation.
Earlier, the president rejected opposition calls for immediate constitutional reform, and called for a halt to the protest. The opposition has been calling for constitutional changes to shift some presidential powers to parliament.
Mr Bakiyev won a landslide victory last year, but his government is accused of failing to curb widespread corruption. President Bakiyev has rejected their calls for immediate reforms to the constitution.
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. 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.
They say he promised, in talks earlier this week, to make some constitutional reforms, which he would submit to parliament on Thursday.
TULIP REVOLUTION WILTS March 2005 - Former President Akayev ousted in popular protestJuly - Kurmanbek Bakiyev elected PresidentApril 2006 - Thousands protest for end to corruption and crimeNovember - Opposition calls for constitutional reform and curbing of presidential powers Unequal returns People's views one year on
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.
"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.""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."
He asked them to cancel the protests and return to the negotiating table.He asked them to cancel the protests and return to the negotiating table.
Wider repercussions Shops closed
But opposition leader Melis Eshimkhanov said Mr Bakiyev "broke his promise again". But opposition leaders accuse him of breaking a pledge made earlier this week that he would hand more of his powers to the parliament and cabinet.
TULIP REVOLUTION WILTS March 2005 - Former President Akayev ousted in popular protestJuly - Kurmanbek Bakiyev elected PresidentApril 2006 - Thousands protest for end to corruption and crimeNovember - Opposition calls for constitutional reform and curbing of presidential powers Unequal returns People's views one year on
They say he was to submit the constitutional reforms to parliament on Thursday, which would have meant the immediate dissolution of the current cabinet allowing parliament to choose a new one.
Mr Bakiyev "broke his promise again", Melis Eshimkhanov, of the For Reforms opposition group, said.
"He chose the path of conflict, and the people's only demand will be his resignation," he told the Associated Press."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. Protesters have begun gathering around government buildings in the capital, the BBC's Natalia Anteleva in Bishkek reports.
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. Shops in the centre of the city have closed.
Protest organisers have predicted more than 15,000 people could take to the streets. Leaders of one group, For Reforms, said they would camp out in front of the main government building.
Wider repercussions
Bishkek was the scene of wide-scale protests in March 2005 during the so-called Tulip Revolution that drove long-time President Askar Akayev from power over alleged official corruption and disputed parliamentary elections.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev went on to win a landslide victory and initially said he favoured reducing the powers of the president and transferring them to parliament and the cabinet.
But most of his former allies have since turned against 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.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.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.