Mick Hartley

Another one bites the dust:

The opposition in Kyrgyzstan says it has taken control of the capital, Bishkek, after overrunning the president’s palace.

Protesters confronted supporters of President Askar Akayev before flooding into government offices.

A prominent Kyrgyz opposition leader, Felix Kulov, made a televised appeal for calm after being freed from jail.

Demonstrations were stepped up after recent parliamentary elections, which the opposition said were rigged.

An unconfirmed report by Interfax news agency said Mr Akayev and his family have left Bishkek by helicopter.

Opposition activists have also seized control of several regional government buildings in key towns in the south of the country.

Background from the BBC:

Many observers believe the Kyrgyz are keen on democracy because personal freedom has been at the heart of their nomadic culture. With Islam not as deeply embedded here as in the rest of Central Asia, the Kyrgyz seem to be closer to the Buddhist Mongols than to Muslim Uzbeks or Tajiks.

Come on now Beeb: everybody’s keen on democracy nowadays.