Bowing out voluntarily is an idea Central Asia's authoritarian rulers-most of whom were already in power before their countries' independence in the early 1990s-find hard to comprehend. The outside world is therefore fond of Kirgizstan's president, Askar Akaev, who has stated repeatedly that he will step down at the end of his term in 2005, in compliance with the constitution's limit of two terms in office. But hopes for an orderly succession, even when pinned on a president who was once known as something of a democrat, may be premature.
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