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Protesters in Kyrgyzstan break up parliament in the capital, Bishkek, demanding the cancellation of the country’s parliamentary elections.
The footage showed people throwing paper in President Suranbai Jinbekov’s office and through windows. Some parts of the building were seen on fire.
The break-in comes after a day of clashes with police, who initially dispersed the crowd with water cannons and tear gas.
The clash erupted over allegations of vote rigging in last Sunday’s election.
After the vote, only four of the 16 parties passed the 7% threshold for entry into parliament, three of which have close ties to President Jinbekov.
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EPA
Protesters storm a government building in protest of the parliamentary election results
Monday, police said Ala-Too square surprise Granada used for a nearby open out to thousands of protests in the streets, in their nearby before their compliance.
But protesters later returned to Central Square, known as the White House, before storming the parliament building.
Video footage shared on social media showed protesters gaining access to the complex, some by climbing on fans and others by pushing open the front door. Later, smoke could be seen emanating from outside the building.
The protesters said they would stay in Ala-to-Chowk until they could meet political leaders.
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EPA
Thousands gather in Bishkek’s Ala-to Square amid allegations of vote rigging
Allegedly, 120 people were injured, half of them law enforcers.
The health ministry said in a statement that many people were in critical condition but no deaths had been reported.
The protesters also released former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, who was being held in the remand center of the state’s National Security Service, awaiting trial on corruption charges, according to the local Express News Agency.
Groups close to the president have been accused of vote-buying and intimidation of voters – international observers say they are “credible” and cause “serious concern”.
On Monday, 12 opposition parties jointly announced they would not accept the results of the vote.
Later, President Jinbekov’s office said it would meet with leaders of all 16 parties participating in the election on Tuesday to reduce tensions.
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Writers
The two parties closest to President Sorombai Jinbekov each received 25% of the vote.
Opposition candidates also demanded that the Central Election Commission cancel the election results.
One candidate, Rasclady Mombakov, told a crowd of more than 5,000 protesters on Monday: “The president promised to monitor the election honestly. He did not keep his word.”
Ms. Mombakov’s party, Atta McCain, had hoped to enter parliament, but in the end she was one of eight parties that missed the threshold. Atta McCain leader Janar Akayev suffered a leg injury during a protest on Monday.
The protesters were also demanding the resignation of President Jinbekov.
Thomas Bosrap, head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) election monitoring mission, said in a briefing that although the vote was “generally well-organized”, allegations of vote-buying were a “serious concern”.
How the opposition grew
Almaz Tachorov, BBC News, Bishkek
Police used water cannon, suddenly granedam and tear gas on the protesters.
They first used force to disperse protesters in the main square, but as the crowd moved to other streets in Bishkek, police chased them.
Then came the news of the injuries – both in the protesters and in the police. Among the injured was Jarnar Archive, a leader of the opposition.
About 5,000 people were protesting in the Ala-Tu category and the protest remained peaceful for most of the day. But around 20:10 GMT (14:10 GMT), a small group of protesters erupted and marched on the parliament building. When they got there, they allegedly tried to break down the doors.
This is what triggers the police response. Police said that they will not interfere in the protest as long as they are peaceful – but it flare. Action taken.
The protesters were initially dispersed, but later returned and successfully entered the parliament building.
The two main parties, each receiving one-fourth of the vote, were Birmidik and Meknim Kyrgyzstan.
Asselbek Jinbekov, the younger brother of President Jinbekov, is a member of Birimdik.
Meknem Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, is seen as closely linked to the powerful Matramov family. The family’s painter, Reyambak Matramov, was the target of anti-corruption protests last year and is believed to have funded Mr Jinbekov’s successful 2017 presidential campaign.
Late Monday night, Birimdic announced that it would be open to run again in Sunday’s election, and called on other parties to do the same, which has crossed the 7% threshold.
