Akayev was initially seen as an economically right-wing liberal leader. He commented in a 1991 interview that "Although I am a Communist, my basic attitude toward private property is favorable. I believe that the revolution in the sphere of economics was not made by
Karl Marx but by
Adam Smith." As late as 1993 political analysts saw Akayev as a "prodemocratic physicist." He actively promoted
privatization of land and other economic assets and operated a relatively liberal regime compared with the governments of the other Central Asian nations. In October 1991, he appointed
Boris Birshtein, who is associated with the
Zürich based Seabeco AG, as president of the country's committee for reconstruction and development as well as the country's trade representative and ensured that the Kirgiz branch of Seabeco would operate free of taxes. He was granted lifelong immunity from prosecution by the Lower House of Parliament in 2003. Akayev was supportive of the Kyrgyzstani
Neo-Tengrist movement.
Protests with Askar Akayev at the Bishkek Heating and Electricity Station, October 2000 The first wave of demonstrations took place in mid-March 2002. Azimbek Beknazarov, a member of parliament accused of abuse of power, was due to attend trial taking place in
Jalal-Abad. Over 2,000 demonstrators marched on the town where the proceedings were to take place. According to eyewitnesses, police ordered the demonstrators to stop and gave them fifteen minutes to disperse, yet opened fire before this time elapsed. Five men were shot dead; another was killed on the next day. 61 people were injured, including 47 police and 14 civilians. Riot police clashed with protesters in
Bishkek in May during demonstrations in support of Beknazarov. Police in the capital's Parliament square kicked protesters and dragged people away to break up the 200-strong crowd. They made several demands including the resignation of Akayev. This was again repeated in November of the same year when scores were arrested as the opposition marched on the capital. Protests continued, albeit on a smaller scale, at various points over the next few years.
2005 election controversy in
Moscow, 2001 Akayev had promised to step down from office when his third term expired in 2005, but the possibility of a dynastical succession had been raised. His son
Aidar Akayev and his daughter
Bermet Akayeva were candidates in the
2005 legislative election, and it was widely suspected that he was going to retain either
de facto power by arranging for the election of a close supporter or relative, or perhaps even by abrogation of the
term limit provision in the constitution and remaining in power personally, an allegation which he strongly denied. The results of the elections were disputed, with allegations of vote-rigging. Two of Akayev's children won seats. Serious protests broke out in
Osh and
Jalal-Abad, with protesters occupying administration buildings and the Osh airport. The government declared that it was ready to negotiate with the demonstrators. However an opposition leader said talks would only be worthwhile if the President himself took part. Akayev refused to resign, but pledged not to use force to end the protests, which he attributed to foreign interests seeking to provoke a large-scale clamp-down in response. On 23 March, Akayev announced the dismissal of Interior Minister Bakirdin Subanbekov and General Prosecutor
Myktybek Abdyldayev for "poor work" in dealing with the growing protests.
Downfall with Askar Akayev in the
Oval Office on September 23, 2002 On 24 March 2005, protesters stormed the presidential compound in the central square of
Bishkek and seized control of the seat of state power after clashing with riot police during a large opposition rally. Opposition supporters also seized control of key cities and towns in the south to press demands that Akayev step down. That day, Akayev fled the country with his family, reportedly escaping first to
Kazakhstan and then to
Russia. Russian president
Vladimir Putin invited Akayev to stay in Russia. There were early reports that he had tendered his resignation to opposition leaders before his departure. However, his formal resignation did not come until 4 April, when a delegation of members of parliament from
Kyrgyzstan met him in
Russia. The Kyrgyz Parliament accepted the
resignation on 11 April 2005, after stripping him and his family members of special privileges that had been granted to him by the previous parliament. He was also formally stripped of the title of "First President of Kyrgyzstan". ==Current position and activities==