Fear and uncertainty as Kyrgyzstan mob rule spreads

A power vacuum is threatening to destabilise Kyrgyzstan, which is struggling to come up with legitimate ways of initiating a power transfer following the violent uprising over a disputed parliamentary election result. The euphoria felt after opposition groups seized the parliament building has quickly turned to uncertainty and insecurity.

As the government appears to be demoralised by past events, mob rule is spreading across the country. People are storming into government offices and appointing their leaders to positions of chairperson, mayor or minister.

However, these self-declared "appointments" can quickly be overruled by another, bigger mob. This is what happened to the leader of the Bir Bol party Almambet Shykmamatov, who declared himself the new prosecutor-general only to give up the job to a representative of another party who showed up at the office building with a few hundred people.

Mayors are "overthrown", government representatives are forced to resign.

Several co-ordination councils have been formed to enforce order on the streets and to carry out a transfer of power. Each of them claims to represent authority during the transition period.

Some groups have used this power vacuum to release imprisoned politicians with controversial backgrounds, among them former President Almazbek Atambayev, who was jailed for corruption, and Sadyr Japarov, a former MP from the nationalist Ata Jurt party who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking a hostage.