Kurmanbek has left the building

In the wake of a rally that turned violent this morning, deposed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has left the country:  Gunfire had been heard earlier as Mr Bakiyev spoke in the southern city of Osh; an opposition rally was going on nearby. Mr Bakiyev was quickly bundled into his car and driven back to Jalalabad ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

In the wake of a rally that turned violent this morning, deposed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has left the country

In the wake of a rally that turned violent this morning, deposed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has left the country

Gunfire had been heard earlier as Mr Bakiyev spoke in the southern city of Osh; an opposition rally was going on nearby.

Mr Bakiyev was quickly bundled into his car and driven back to Jalalabad where a plane was seen taking off from the nearby airport.

The plane later landed in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz, a Kazakh foreign ministry spokesman said.

Kazakhstan currently holds the presidency of the OSCE.

The opposition takeover of Kyrgyzstan’s government now appears to be complete. Given the violence and chaos of the initial uprising, Roza Otunbayeva’s interim government seems to have consolidated power remarkably quickly, and it never really seemed like Bakiyev’s supporters had a chance. Once the dust settles, the tick-tock account of how all this transpired should be pretty fascinating. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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