BISHKEK - Felix Kulov, the popular mayor of Bishkek and a key figure in the opposition that took power here last month, announced Monday he would be a candidate in July elections to choose a successor to the country's ousted leader, Askar Akayev.
"After studying the situation in the country with a group of analysts and representatives from the regions, I have come to the firm conclusion that I must be a candidate in the presidential election," Kulov said at a press conference.
His announcement came after Kyrgyzstan's acting president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, said he had held weekend talks with Kulov during which the two men agreed on a fair fight that would end the uncertainty created by Akayev's removal.
Speaking on national television late Sunday, Bakiyev said he had held "man-to-man" talks with Kulov and that Kulov had confirmed his intention to stand at polls due on July 10.
The two had "agreed to fairly fight for the president's post, without buying votes, and that the loser would not bring the voters onto the streets," Bakiyev said.
This mountainous Central Asian republic has been plunged into uncertainty since protestors overran Akayev's office on March 24 leading the country's first post-Soviet leader to flee to Russia.
Continued protests over allegedly flawed parliamentary polls in February and March as well as mass seizures of land around the capital Bishkek have prompted some politicians to warn of a possible civil war. So far though there have no major acts of violence.
Bakiyev, a trained electrician and former prime minister, has particular support in the impoverished south of the country and may gain votes from those wary of another destabilising power handover, analysts say.
Kulov added to his already considerable popularity however whilst serving a seven-year prison term for corruption convictions that many said were politically motivated.
He was sprung from prison just a few hours after Akayev's ousting.
The supreme court went on to overturn the convictions, clearing Kulov's way for a presidential bid, but leading some critics to warn that the rapidity of the court's decisions proved it was no more independent than under Akayev.
Some believe Kulov could stumble when it comes to the Kyrgyz language exam that all presidential candidates must sit, as his first language, like many in the north of this somewhat divided country, is Russian.
Bakiyev, during a recent visit by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, promised to do everything possible to ensure a fair vote in line with the standards of the Western-led Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of which Kyrgyzstan is a member.
04/25/2005 09:01 GMT