Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev agreed Sunday to step down as leader of the country he fled March 25 after protests over alleged ballot-rigging escalated into a movement that toppled his autocratic regime. Akayev said he would formally resign on Monday, a move that would allow new elections to be set. The ousted leader signed a protocol for the handover of power during a meeting with Kyrgyz parliamentary leaders in Moscow. "The protocol ensures the legitimacy of the handover of power," Parliament Speaker Omurbek Tekebayev said. Russia and Kazakhstan are to oversee the completion of the handover process. According to the Kyrgyzstan's constitution, Akayev, who has been in power since 1990, is supposed to return to the capital Bishkek and formally announce his resignation before parliament, but his safety could not be guaranteed following the protests. Protests against the former president started in the mostly Uzbek south of the former Soviet republic and spread to the north and the capital. New elections for the country's top post are now scheduled for June 26. Akayev said in Moscow that the disintegration of Kyrgyzstan must be avoided. His words were echoed by Kyrgyz Ambassador to Brussels and writer Chingiz Aitmatov, who called on Europe to help prevent the breakup of the country and fight against poverty. "We are counting on the European Union to help us find solutions to these problems," the Lyon-based news station Euronews quoted Aitmatov as saying. The ambassador added that Kyrgyzstan would continue to develop its ties with both the E.U. and Russia.
