Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akayev has ruled out imposing a state of emergency to curb mass protests sparked by recent parliamentary elections that opposition groups say were fraudulent.
Addressing a meeting of newly elected lawmakers Tuesday, Mr. Akayev said opposition groups were, in his words, deliberately stoking tensions in the country.
Earlier, his spokesman rejected vote-rigging allegations and accused "criminals" of organizing the mounting demonstrations. Kyrgyzstan's top election official also described the balloting as "democratic and legitimate."
Monday, two-thousand opposition protesters took control of government headquarters in the country's second-largest city, Osh.
Many of them were calling for President Akayez's resignation, despite his pledge to investigate charges of electoral fraud and his offer to hold talks with the opposition.
