Revolution of the tulips

The revolution of the Tulips is the name given to the “revolution” or the coup d'etat having taken place March 24th 2005 with the Kyrgyzstan. Its name comes from the promise “to make fold the president Askar Akaev before the blossoming of the Tulipe S” .

This choice made following the other coloured “revolutions”: the original revolution in Serbia in 2000, the Revolution of the pinks in Georgia fine 2003, the Orange revolution in Ukraine fine 2004, the Revolution of the cedar to the Lebanon in 2005.

There was not unanimity of the participants concerning this name, since it was a question also of revolution of the Lemons or yellow revolution or violet . This reflects the lack of unit and preparation of this movement, which strongly distinguishes it from the other protest movements of the CEI which he intended to take as a starting point.

Origins

See section: general History of Kyrgyzstan .

After its declaration of independence the August 31st 1991, which releases the country of the the USSR, Askar Akaev preserves the capacity. 14 years later, the legislative ones from February-March 2005, gained by the party of the president, are denounced by the opposition as sullied with fraud. The opposition requires its resignation then, of the thousands of Kirgiz express in the south of the country them mécontentement. There exists a strong cleavage between the Southerners and the Northerners where the capital is located. To that is added the dissatisfaction of the tradesmen of Bichkek against the corruption of the State under Akaev and the Kyrgyz deplorable state of the economy.

The 24, they take their “White House”, seat of the government and the presidency. No shot is drawn, the building was deserted, president Askar Akaev and its family would have even already left the country (source of opposition).

“Askar Akaev is not any more on the territory of the Republic and the Prime Minister, Nikolaï Tanaiev, gave his resignation” declared a leader of the oppositionKourmanbek Bakiev, on television of State invested by the demonstrators-->.

The change of being able is rather fast but the new government does not manage to contain the quotas of Southerners whom it made assemble in the capital. Plunderings take place during long days in Bichkek what erodes the popularity of the new capacity and worsens the tensions between the South and the North of the country. After a meeting bringing together senators and deputies of before legislative, and new ones, this exceptional and impromptu room entrusts the government to the opposition and the president of the Parliament, Ichenbai Kadyrbekov, is appointed president by interim.

A surprise?

The situation has all the same surprised the leaders of the opposition since hitherto, only the south was shown agitated.

Consequences

The government of Kourmanbek Bakiev arrives with a diary much more nationalist than its predecessor. Criticisms are make hear as of the first days after the “Revolution”: when Bakiev installed (the March 28th) his/her friends with direction of television and the national radio, the members of the personnel denounced their new dependence with respect to the new executive power and the nomination of a new direction of nationalist ideology.

The nationalist question is one of the big unknowns of the new Kyrgyz capacity. If the tensions between the South and the North of the country remained without much effect under Akaev, can Bakiev combined for this “Revolution” with the nationalist political barons of the South maintain the country in the calm one?

Opposition

There are four chiefs:

Felix Koulov, former chief of the security services, released one day earlier of prison (March 24th);
Kourmanbek Bakiev, old Prime Minister having been dislocated of its functions in 2002 after a fatal repression;
Roza Otounbaïeva, former Kyrgyz ambassadress with London and Washington.
Azymbek Beknazarov, deputy, leader of opinion enjoying a great influence in the south of the country, in the middle of the events of Aksy which had shaken the mode in 2003.

External bond

Series of article of the newspaper the Express train

Random links: