VOA慢速英语--吉尔吉斯斯坦总统表示,他正在辞职以避免流血

The president of Kyrgyzstan said Thursday he was resigning following protests over a recent parliamentary election. It is the third time in 15 years that a leader of the Central Asian country has been removed by a popular uprising.

Protesters in the capital, Bishkek, celebrated¹ the decision by President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. However, it is not clear if his resignation will stop the unrest that has brought chaos² to the country since last week.

The protestors quickly demanded that the parliament be dismissed and its speaker resign from office.

One a day earlier, Jeenbekov had refused calls to resign. But the protests continued, and even the new prime minister called on him to resign.

In a statement released by the president's office, Jeenbekov said he feared violence if he stayed in power. He noted³ that protesters were facing off against the police and the military.

"I don't want to go down in history as a president who shed blood and shot at his own citizens," he said.

Jeenbekov said the situation in Bishkek "remains⁴ tense"and that he did not want to worsen those tensions. He urged opposition⁵ politicians to get their supporters off the streets and "bring peaceful life back to the people."

Parliament must officially approve his resignation. The speaker of the parliament, Kanat Isayev, told reporters the parliament's members would meet Friday to consider it.

Krygyzstan is home to 6.5 million people. The country was pushed into chaos following parliamentary elections on October 4. Election officials claim that pro-government parties won the vote. But the opposition said that vote-buying and other problems influenced the results.

Protesters took to the streets, seizing government buildings and attacking some offices. The Central Election Commission cancelled the election results. The opposition then announced plans to remove Jeenbekov and form a new government.

As the protests grew, Jeenbekov announced a state of emergency in Bishkek. Government officials deployed⁶ troops to the city and ordered a curfew. The move eased tensions in the city as citizens stopped fearing the violence and destruction that they had experienced with earlier uprisings. Stores and banks reopened.

To try to stop the protests, Jeenbekov on Wednesday approved the appointment of Sadyr Zhaparov as prime minister. The former lawmaker was freed from jail by demonstrators last week. Jeenbekov also approved the newly-appointed members of Zhaparov's new Cabinet.

Zhaparov has repeatedly demanded Jeenbekov's resignation and promised his supporters to push for it. The Kyrgyz leader had said he would stay in the job until the political situation had calmed.

Kyrgyzstan is one of the poorest countries that gained independence from the former Soviet⁷ Union. It is a member of Russian-controlled economic and security agreements. It receives economic support from Russia.

A Russian government spokesman said Thursday that his country would "pause" its support for Kyrgyzstan because "there is no government as such, as far as we see."

Words in This Story

uprising – n. popular demonstrations⁸ against a government

chaos – n. complete anarchy⁹

shed – v. to cry or to draw blood

pause – v. to stop a moment to consider the outcome of events or actions

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

8 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

9 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。