BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Using ethnic tensions to divide Kyrgyzstan ahead of parliamentary elections in October won't be tolerated, the interim president warned.
June violence between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities in the southern cities of Osh and Jalal Abad killed at least 350 people in the wake of an April coup that brought Roza Otunbayeva to power as the interim president.
Otunbayeva had threatened to postpone elections if ethnic violence broke out again in the south. She warned in statements Monday that political leaders who exploit ethnic divisions will face tough action from the state.
"I'd like to stress the toughness of measures that will be taken against the parties, which will take the liberty of playing up the ethnic problem and dividing the nation into 'northerners' and 'southerners' or into tribes and clans in a bid to gain more political scores," she was quoted by Russian news agency ITAR-Tass as saying.
Kyrgyzstan received cautious praise for having a constitutional referendum in the wake of the June violence. The measure moves much of the power in Bishkek from the president to a prime minister.
The measure outlines 17 government ministries, a role for a prime minister, government control over infrastructure and moves three newspapers under state control.
Elections are scheduled for Oct. 10.
"We're creating equitable conditions for all the participants in the election procedures," said Otunbayeva.
