Kyrgyzstan President Resigns Amid Unrest

This morning, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigned after 10 days of unrest following a disputed election, according to Reuters.

In a televised speech, Jeenbekov said that he wanted to prevent clashes between security forces and protesters who have demanded his removal from office.

It is worth mentioning that, Kyrgyzstan has been in turmoil since the Oct. 4 parliamentary election, which the opposition rejected after Jeenbekov’s allies were declared the winners.

Thousands-strong protests forced the Kyrgyz cabinet to resign this week and the central election commission to cancel the results of Sunday’s parliamentary election, leaving the country with no clear leadership, according to Reuters.

last week, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy security council chief Omurbek Suvanaliyev said that the country managed to close its borders to ensure security amid unrest that has toppled the government.

Kyrgyzstan, a small central Asian former Soviet republic that borders on China, has experienced political turmoil for years. Jeenbekov is now the third president to be toppled in a popular uprising since 2005.