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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 10 OctOber 2020
Kyrgyz president declares state of emergency amid protests

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV eral shots at Atambayev's
Associated Press car as it sped away, but the
MOSCOW (AP) — The em- former president was un-
battled president of Kyrgyz- hurt. Two other politicians
stan ordered a nearly two- affiliated with Atambayev
week state of emergency also had their cars shot at
Friday in the capital in a as they left the square, their
bid to end turmoil sparked party said. They weren't in-
by a disputed parliamen- jured.
tary election as clashes be- Another politician was bad-
tween rival factions esca- ly injured amid the clashes
lated and gunshots were on the square, but the cir-
fired at several political cumstances of the incident
leaders. weren't immediately clear.
President Sooronbai Jeen- Jeenbekov, who hunkered
bekov decreed that the down for days after the
state of emergency, from 8 vote, used the infighting
p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. between his foes to dig in.
on Oct. 21, could include He said Thursday he may
a curfew and travel restric- consider stepping down,
tions. He also ordered the People protest during a rally against the results of a parliamentary vote in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, but only after the political
military to deploy troops to Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. situation stabilizes.
Bishkek, the capital, to en- Associated Press The president met with the
force the measure. new chief of the military
"We are witnessing a real to step down from hun- Like in the uprisings that form a new government. General Staff Friday, saying
threat to the existence of dreds of protesters who ousted Kyrgyz presidents in An emergency parliament that he relies on the armed
our state," Jeenbekov said stormed government build- 2005 and 2010, the current session on Tuesday named forces to help restore order.
in a statement. "The peace- ings the night after Sunday's protests have been driven lawmaker Sadyr Zhaparov "We must quickly take the
ful life of our citizens mustn't parliamentary vote was by clan rivalries that play as a new prime minister, but situation under control,"
be sacrificed to political reportedly swept by pro- a key role in the country's the move was immediately Jeenbekov said.
passions." government parties. The politics. contested by other protest Kyrgyzstan is strategically
But just hours after the pres- demonstrators also freed After an initial attempt to groups, plunging the coun- located on the border with
idential decree, the Inte- former President Almazbek break up protesters imme- try into chaos. China and once was home
rior Ministry said the state of Atambayev, who was sen- diately after the vote, po- Atambayev spoke to dem- to a U.S. air base used for
emergency in the capital tenced to 11 years in prison lice have pulled back and onstrators who flooded refueling and logistics for
would only be introduced in June on charges of cor- refrained from intervening central Bishkek on Friday, the war in Afghanistan. The
on Saturday — the confu- ruption and abuse of office with the demonstrations. urging them to refrain from country is a member of Rus-
sion reflecting the chaos that he and his supporters Residents of the capital violence. sia-dominated economic
that has engulfed the described as a political began forming vigilante "I'm against using force, ev- and security alliances, hosts
country. vendetta by Jeenbekov. groups to prevent looting erything should be done by a Russian air base and de-
Convoys of military trucks The turmoil marks a third that marked previous upris- peaceful means," he said. pends on Moscow's eco-
were seen driving into the time in 15 years that pro- ings in the country. Shortly after he spoke, sup- nomic support.
city, but it wasn't imme- testers have moved to top- Under pressure from pro- porters of Zhaparov as- Russian President Vladimir
diately clear whether po- ple a government in Kyrgyz- testers, the Central Election sailed pro-Atambayev Putin chaired Friday's ses-
lice and the military would stan, a Central Asian nation Commission has overturned demonstrators on Bishkek's sion of his Security Council
comply with the presiden- of 6.5 million that is one of the parliamentary vote central square, hurling to discuss the situation in
tial order. the poorest to emerge from results and protest lead- stones and bottles. Kyrgyzstan, among other is-
Jeenbekov has faced calls the former Soviet Union. ers have moved quickly to A man with a pistol fired sev- sues. q

Lebanon's outgoing PM rejects end to subsidies amid crisis

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's amid divisions" between Talks with the International
outgoing prime minister on political and sectarian Monetary Fund on a bail-
Friday adamantly rejected groups at the expense of out package have stalled
any move to end subsidies the people. He urged poli- since July.
of goods in the crisis-hit ticians in the corruption- The Labor Union called for
country, warning it would plagued country to over- protests next week against
lead to a "social explosion" come their differences any move by the central
as the central bank's re- and form a new Cabinet bank to end subsidies.
serves dwindle and the lo- that would quickly work on Diab said that had his gov-
cal currency continues to dealing with the crisis. ernment not decided to
drop, throwing more Leba- Lebanon is mired in the default on paying back the
nese into poverty. worst economic and finan- massive debt, the central
Prime Minister Hassan Diab, cial crisis in its modern his- bank's reserves would have
who resigned in August — tory. It defaulted on paying dropped $5 billion, to $17.5
days after a massive blast back its debt for the first billion. He added that Leb-
in Beirut's port killed almost time in March, and the lo- anon paid $4 billion to sub-
An anti-government protester holds a national flag, as she pass-
es in front of Lebanese army soldiers during a protest against 200 people and wounded cal currency has lost nearly sidize imports of fuel, wheat
rising prices and worsening economic and financial conditions, thousands — warned that 80% of its value amid hy- and medicine — and the
in Zalka, north of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. the "Lebanese are passing perinflation, soaring pov- figure could reach $7 billion
Associated Press through a difficult period erty, and unemployment. by year's end. q