Kyrgyzstan's ousted president, Askar Akayev, put out mixed messages on Tuesday about his willingness to resign, insisting first in a radio interview in Russia that he would not step down but later hinting that he might if given "adequate guarantees." "At this point I am the only popularly elected and legitimate president of the Kyrgyz Republic," Mr. Akayev said in an interview broadcast by Moscow Echo radio. He noted that his mandate would end on Oct. 30 this year. "At the moment, I can see no reasons, no grounds for submitting my resignation," he said.Later, however, he suggested in an interview on one of Russia's state television networks, Channel One, that he might be prepared to step down. "Of course," he said, when asked if he would resign early before new elections were held, "if I am given adequate guarantees and it is in full accordance with the current legislation of Kyrgyzstan."
His defiance has created a constitutional crisis in his country, where opposition figures seized control of the government last week as he fled a wave of violent demonstrations. Since then, opposition politicians, led by Kurmanbek Bakiyev, have struggled to find a legal footing for what amounts to an accidental coup. Despite Mr. Akayev's assertions that the opposition organized the demonstrations last Thursday to oust him, Mr. Bakiyev and other protest leaders insist that they had only intended a peaceful protest to force him to resign. They seized power after protesters stormed the presidential compound and opposition leaders realized Mr. Akayev had run away.