Kyrgyz leader raises questions over US base

Kadyr Toktogulov Bishkek

Mr Bakiyev also said his landslide win on Sunday “could without exaggeration be called a confident victory of our people’s revolution”.

He promised to fight corruption and reduce the power of the presidency by shifting some functions to the prime minister While those statements were likely to please Western countries concerned about stability and democracy in Central Asia, his comments about the US base will strike a worrying note for Washington.

“Afghanistan has had presidential and parliamentary elections. The situation there has stabilised. So now we may begin discussing the necessity of US military forces’ presence,” Mr Bakiyev said.

The comments echoed a recent call by the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, an alliance led by Russia and China that includes Kyrgyzstan, which said the US should set a date for the withdrawal of its bases in Kyrgyzstan and in neighbouring Uzbekistan.

Both bases support US-led coalition forces’ activities in Afghanistan.

With more than three-quarters of the ballots counted from 95% of the districts, Mr Bakiyev received nearly 89% of the vote, giving him an insurmountable lead over five challengers.

Mr Bakiyev has been acting president since March 25, the day after demonstrators stormed former President Askar Akayev’s offices and sent him fleeing into exile. Activists were angered over Mr Akayev’s alleged manipulation of parliamentary elections.

To shore up his support ahead of the election, Mr Bakiyev pledged to give the premiership to the man who was expected to have been his main rival, Felix Kulov.