Election protests block road to Kumtor (March 01, 2005)

Citizen protests leading up to the Feb. 27 parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan shut off access to Centerra Gold’s (CG-T) Kumtor mine for four days, causing the company to scale back mining briefly.

Opposition supporters, mainly in areas outside the capital, Bishkek, blocked roads after two opposition candidates were disqualified from standing. The protests were also meant as a show of strength in advance of the election, which was held to fill the 75-seat legislature. The largest opposition party, Ata-Jurt (“Fatherland”), had predicted that the government of president Askar Akayev would attempt to rig the election to favour pro-government candidates.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the election was competitive and orderly, but voting lists were inaccurate and fraudulent voting did occur. There were also instances of interference with the opposition during the campaign, and several non-state newspapers, radio stations and web sites were shut down by the government in the days before the election.

The results of the election were inconclusive, with 44 of the seats left to be decided in runoff elections on March 13. Three opposition candidates and 28 government supporters were elected with clear majorities. Turnout was about 60%.

The election had been seen as a possible “people-power” overthrow of the Akayev administration, which has governed Kyrgyzstan since the country broke from the old Soviet Union in 1991. Akayev, who had no links to the old Communist government, came to power on independence, but has subsequently championed changes to the system to concentrate power in the presidency. He has said he would accept the term limit in the country’s constitution and step aside after the presidential election in October.

The protests blocking access to Kumtor, in the town of Tyup, broke up on the day before the election and transport of employees and goods resumed. Centerra said the mine would still meet production forecasts of 131,000 oz. for the first quarter of 2005.