Kyrgyz opposition names president

Kyrgyzstan's opposition seized the reins of power and named an acting president yesterday a day after a lightning coup, but the country's ousted leader broke his silence to declare he was still president and would return.

The capital of the Central Asian state, a former Soviet republic, remained tense as darkness fell and occasional volleys of gunfire could be heard. Large plumes of smoke could be seen in the vicinity of a shopping centre.

President Askar Akayev fled the country as his government fell on Thursday after thousands of protesters stormed the main administration building in Bishkek, sparking an orgy of looting in the capital that shocked even opposition leaders.

Opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiev, who played a central role in the protests, said he had been appointed acting president and he promptly named interim interior, defence and foreign ministers.

Presidential elections would be held in June. The new administration claimed an early success by securing vital support from Russia, while the United States said it was prepared to work with the new governing structures and the EU foreign policy chief urged citizens to restore law and order.

Impoverished Kyrgyzstan becomes the third ex-Soviet state in two years, after Georgia and Ukraine, where a revolt after disputed elections has ousted the entrenched leadership. Unlike the two others, though, Kyrgyzstan's revolution was violent.

And, unlike the new leaders in Georgia and Ukraine who have irked Moscow, Kyrgyzstan's opposition has shown no interest in shifting westwards away from Russian influence.

Mr Akayev railed at the coup leaders from an undisclosed location abroad, telling his people he was still the legitimate president and that his absence abroad was only temporary.