KYRGYZSTAN:Kyrgyzstan's newly elected president pledged yesterday to relaunch democratic reforms in the central Asian state, whose image as an island of freedom in a mostly authoritarian area had been lost under his predecessor.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev questioned the continuing presence of a US military base on Kyrgyz soil while making no mention of a similar Russian one, signalling he would respect long-standing ties with Moscow.
"We will do everything for Kyrgyzstan's democratic principles of development to strengthen and deepen," he said after sweeping up just under 90 per cent of the vote in a poll endorsed by international observers.
"We must do this in order to have truly independent mass media, freedom of speech, and for civil society to be active in our country."
Mr Bakiyev (55) had been acting president of the ex-Soviet state since veteran leader Askar Akayev was toppled in March by a wave of popular protests over fraudulent parliamentary polls.
Once Mr Akayev's prime minister, he later joined the opposition and played a key role in the protests. Mr Akayev, who at the start of his 15-year rule enjoyed a reputation as the most liberal central Asian leader, fled into exile in Russia after angry crowds stormed his office.
Yesterday, election commission head Tuigunaaly Abdraimov said 88.9 per cent of voters had backed Mr Bakiyev in Sunday's vote, in which he faced five other presidential hopefuls. Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the ballot "generally respected" civil and political rights and took the country a step closer to meeting international democratic standards.
Local democracy groups said Mr Bakiyev's Soviet-style margin of victory reflected widespread support for Mr Akayev's overthrow. Central Asian leaders have accused "foreign forces" of trying to export the brand of "velvet revolution" that swept western-leaning liberals to power in ex-Soviet Ukraine and Georgia.
Reflecting these worries, Russia and its regional allies last week questioned the need for US bases in Kyrgyzstan and neighbouring Uzbekistan. These were set up in 2001 to supply US operations in nearby Afghanistan.
"We may proceed with the issue of whether it is expedient to still deploy US military forces [ in Kyrgyzstan]," Mr Bakiyev said. "Time will show when and how it [ withdrawal] happens," he said.
Kyrgyz liberals rejected attempts to blame the March revolt on foreign instigation, saying it was prompted by abject poverty and serious corruption.