Kyrgyzstan: What Will Be New Government's Domestic, Foreign Policies?

Kyrgyzstan's newly elected president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, faces a wide range of domestic issues like corruption and poverty. On the international front, the situation is no less complicated. Bakiev will be dealing with superpowers like Russia, China, and the United States, as well as neighbors Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The first was the problem of the U.S. military base in Kyrgyzstan. Bakiev is facing pressure from his partners in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -- notably Russia and China -- to demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kyrgyzstan.

At a summit last week in the Kazakh capital Astana, member-states of the Shanghai group, or SCO, asked Washington to set a date for its withdrawal. The U.S. maintains a second base in Uzbekistan. Both bases are used for its military operations in Afghanistan.

At the first presidential press conference following his easy win this weekend, Bakiev yesterday said it was time to discuss the future of the U.S. base at the Manas international airport near Bishkek.

The other immediate challenge for Bakiev is the problem of Uzbek refugees who have sought shelter in Kyrgyzstan following the deadly clashes in Andijon in May. The United Nations and a number of foreign governments have pressured Bakiev to let the refugees remain in his country.

In remarks yesterday, Bakiev appeared eager to appease both the West and neighboring Uzbekistan on the question of the Andijon refugees.