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FACTBOX-Protests sweep aside brittle CIS power structures
MOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) - Popular revolts are changing the political
landscape of the post-Soviet world.
The Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday became the third
ex-Soviet republic in two years -- after Ukraine and Georgia --
to see the established order tumble in the face of opposition protests.
The three have one common thread: the protests were triggered by
elections that the opposition said were rigged to ensure the continuity
of the old establishment.
These are brief profiles of the power structures in the other nine
members of the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
which groups most of the republics that once comprised the Soviet
Union.
Almost all today's leaders in these countries came to power in
elections criticised by international observers as flawed and in some
cases fraudulent.
Many leaders, particularly in Central Asia, have been in power for
more than a decade.
------------------------
RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin won a second term in March 2004
elections after a campaign marked by tight Kremlin control of
television channels. Putin is popular and any discontent tends to be
funnelled against the government rather than him personally. Despite
a separatist war in Chechnya, Russia is by far the most stable member
of the CIS, with the highest living standards in the bloc. A largely
compliant population makes mass street protests against Putin's
rule unlikely.
------------------------
BELARUS: Many analysts see Belarus, which borders three new EU members,
as the next possible candidate for mass protests. President Alexander
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is shunned by Western leaders. His
re-election in 2001 was denounced in the West as fraudulent
and referendums staged to extend his stay in power were also
criticised. But he keeps tight control at home and street protests
are snuffed out quickly. The small, disorganised opposition says he
has put pressure on the courts and keeps a stranglehold on the media.
-------------------------
MOLDOVA: President Vladimir Voronin is the sole communist leader still
in power in the CIS but he is popular and should be re-elected for a
second term by parliament next month. Threats by the opposition to
stage protests over parliamentary elections won by the communists
were blunted by international observers saying the poll met most
international standards. Voronin has now allied himself with the
revolutionary leaders of Ukraine and Georgia and embraced pro-Europe
policies.
-------------------------
ARMENIA: President Robert Kocharyan won a second five-year term with
a 67.5 percent of the vote in a March 2003 election run-off against
opposition leader Stepan Demirchyan, son of a Soviet-era Armenian
leader. Opposition protesters at the time demanded a recount,
alleging fraud. European monitors and the United States said they
were disappointed with the way the poll was conducted, but stopped
short of saying it was illegitimate.
-------------------------
AZERBAIJAN: President Ilham Aliyev was elected in October 2003,
succeeding his father Haydar in the first dynastic handover of power in
the ex-Soviet world. His election triggered bloody opposition-led riots
and clashes between protesters and police. Aliyev has since clamped
down on dissent. Azerbaijan is emerging as a hub of Caspian Sea oil
production and both the West and Russia wish to see stability there.
--------------------------
KAZAKHSTAN: Former steel worker Nursultan Nazarbayev has run Kazakhstan
since Soviet times, keeping his grip on power through stage-managed
elections, sidelining some opponents and skilfully co-opting others. A
former prime minister is in exile, jailed in absentia after attempting
to challenge Nazarbayev in a 1999 presidential poll. There have been
many cases of intimidation of independent media. The giant country has
prospered by comparison with Kyrgyzstan thanks to an oil boom -- one
reason why Nazarbayev feels secure from popular protest. Nazarbayev
said the Kyrgyz authorities had shown weakness by "allowing rebels
to do as they pleased."
---------------------------
UZBEKISTAN: Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov tolerates no public dissent
in the big Central Asian state he has ruled with an iron fist since
Soviet times. He has openly derided the revolutions that swept Ukraine
and Georgia and has said his country will follow its own path to
democracy. Thousands of dissidents are in jail and human rights groups
say abuses are rife. But Karimov has deflected potential criticism
from the West by carving out a role as ally in Washington's war on
terror and hosting a key U.S. airbase.
---------------------------
TAJIKISTAN: Imomali Rakhmonov has led Tajikistan since 1992, fighting a
civil war with the Islamist opposition which ended with a power-sharing
deal in 1997. His Popular Democratic Party swept parliamentary polls
last month which were criticised by the OSCE as unfair. He himself
says he might run for another term in 2006. Tajikistan, where people
survive on less than one dollar a day, has so far avoided unrest,
although a mystery car bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the
security service weeks before the poll.
---------------------------
TURKMENISTAN: Saparmurat Niyazov, known as Turkmenbashi (Chief of
the Turkmen), is the quirkiest of the region's leaders. Now officially
president for life, 65-year-old Niyazov has already ruled the gas-rich
desert state for 20 years. He has fostered a huge personality cult and
is revered at home. He has barred the opposition from parliamentary
elections. There is no one on the horizon to replace him and leading
human rights groups have warned that his death could bring a violent
succession struggle. Niyazov survived an assassination attempt in 2002.
(Additional reporting by Ron Popeski in Kiev, Margarita Antidze in
Tbilisi and Douglas Busvine in Moscow)
03/25/05 08:55 ET
MOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) - Popular revolts are changing the political
landscape of the post-Soviet world.
The Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday became the third
ex-Soviet republic in two years -- after Ukraine and Georgia --
to see the established order tumble in the face of opposition protests.
The three have one common thread: the protests were triggered by
elections that the opposition said were rigged to ensure the continuity
of the old establishment.
These are brief profiles of the power structures in the other nine
members of the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
which groups most of the republics that once comprised the Soviet
Union.
Almost all today's leaders in these countries came to power in
elections criticised by international observers as flawed and in some
cases fraudulent.
Many leaders, particularly in Central Asia, have been in power for
more than a decade.
------------------------
RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin won a second term in March 2004
elections after a campaign marked by tight Kremlin control of
television channels. Putin is popular and any discontent tends to be
funnelled against the government rather than him personally. Despite
a separatist war in Chechnya, Russia is by far the most stable member
of the CIS, with the highest living standards in the bloc. A largely
compliant population makes mass street protests against Putin's
rule unlikely.
------------------------
BELARUS: Many analysts see Belarus, which borders three new EU members,
as the next possible candidate for mass protests. President Alexander
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is shunned by Western leaders. His
re-election in 2001 was denounced in the West as fraudulent
and referendums staged to extend his stay in power were also
criticised. But he keeps tight control at home and street protests
are snuffed out quickly. The small, disorganised opposition says he
has put pressure on the courts and keeps a stranglehold on the media.
-------------------------
MOLDOVA: President Vladimir Voronin is the sole communist leader still
in power in the CIS but he is popular and should be re-elected for a
second term by parliament next month. Threats by the opposition to
stage protests over parliamentary elections won by the communists
were blunted by international observers saying the poll met most
international standards. Voronin has now allied himself with the
revolutionary leaders of Ukraine and Georgia and embraced pro-Europe
policies.
-------------------------
ARMENIA: President Robert Kocharyan won a second five-year term with
a 67.5 percent of the vote in a March 2003 election run-off against
opposition leader Stepan Demirchyan, son of a Soviet-era Armenian
leader. Opposition protesters at the time demanded a recount,
alleging fraud. European monitors and the United States said they
were disappointed with the way the poll was conducted, but stopped
short of saying it was illegitimate.
-------------------------
AZERBAIJAN: President Ilham Aliyev was elected in October 2003,
succeeding his father Haydar in the first dynastic handover of power in
the ex-Soviet world. His election triggered bloody opposition-led riots
and clashes between protesters and police. Aliyev has since clamped
down on dissent. Azerbaijan is emerging as a hub of Caspian Sea oil
production and both the West and Russia wish to see stability there.
--------------------------
KAZAKHSTAN: Former steel worker Nursultan Nazarbayev has run Kazakhstan
since Soviet times, keeping his grip on power through stage-managed
elections, sidelining some opponents and skilfully co-opting others. A
former prime minister is in exile, jailed in absentia after attempting
to challenge Nazarbayev in a 1999 presidential poll. There have been
many cases of intimidation of independent media. The giant country has
prospered by comparison with Kyrgyzstan thanks to an oil boom -- one
reason why Nazarbayev feels secure from popular protest. Nazarbayev
said the Kyrgyz authorities had shown weakness by "allowing rebels
to do as they pleased."
---------------------------
UZBEKISTAN: Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov tolerates no public dissent
in the big Central Asian state he has ruled with an iron fist since
Soviet times. He has openly derided the revolutions that swept Ukraine
and Georgia and has said his country will follow its own path to
democracy. Thousands of dissidents are in jail and human rights groups
say abuses are rife. But Karimov has deflected potential criticism
from the West by carving out a role as ally in Washington's war on
terror and hosting a key U.S. airbase.
---------------------------
TAJIKISTAN: Imomali Rakhmonov has led Tajikistan since 1992, fighting a
civil war with the Islamist opposition which ended with a power-sharing
deal in 1997. His Popular Democratic Party swept parliamentary polls
last month which were criticised by the OSCE as unfair. He himself
says he might run for another term in 2006. Tajikistan, where people
survive on less than one dollar a day, has so far avoided unrest,
although a mystery car bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the
security service weeks before the poll.
---------------------------
TURKMENISTAN: Saparmurat Niyazov, known as Turkmenbashi (Chief of
the Turkmen), is the quirkiest of the region's leaders. Now officially
president for life, 65-year-old Niyazov has already ruled the gas-rich
desert state for 20 years. He has fostered a huge personality cult and
is revered at home. He has barred the opposition from parliamentary
elections. There is no one on the horizon to replace him and leading
human rights groups have warned that his death could bring a violent
succession struggle. Niyazov survived an assassination attempt in 2002.
(Additional reporting by Ron Popeski in Kiev, Margarita Antidze in
Tbilisi and Douglas Busvine in Moscow)
03/25/05 08:55 ET