After Bakiye's exile, Kyrgyz interim leader not decided to take part in presidential elections

MOSCOW, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Following the exile of former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev from the country, civil conflicts within the impoverished Central Asian state was somewhat alleviated. Nonetheless there are still a lot of things to do for the interim government formed one day after the riots broke out in the capital city of Bishkek on April 7.

File photo taken on July 23, 2009 shows then Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev speaks to the media at a polling station in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.(Xinhua/Lu Jinbo)

Kyrgyz interim leader Roza Otunbayeva said Friday that she currently has made no plans for the presidential elections set to be held six months later.

"I do not know if I may take part in the presidential election, " said Otunbayeva in Bishkek during a video linkup with reporters in Washington.

She said there were more pressing issues than her political future right now, such as the stabilization of Kyrgyz situations, the elaboration of a new constitution and the definition of the presidential election formula, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The U.S.-leased military transit center near Manas airport was also not a priority of the interim government, she added.

Earlier Friday the interim government has announced an automatic extension of the lease by one year.

Also on Friday, former President Bakiyev, who resigned and left the country for neighboring Kazakhstan Thursday under the mediation of Russia, Kazakhstan and the United States, confirmed in a televised address that he was in Kazakhstan.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your help and care about me," Bakiyev said to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the address.

Bakiyev said it was after a telephone conversation with Nazarbayev and other Kazakh officials did he decide to leave Kyrgyzstan, the Interfax news agency reported. The plane carrying him landed in the Kazakh regional center of Taraza on Thursday at around 08:15 p.m. local time (1515 GMT).

It was currently not clear how long the deposed Kyrgyz president would stay in Kazakhstan and what destination he might leave for next.