"People in Bishkek are scared of your actions," Kurmanbek told the crowd. "I believe that some dirty politicians could use this situation for their benefit."
The demonstrators, who started to gather early Friday to protest a decision to bar Ryspek Akmatbayev from running for parliament in an April 9 by-election, are demanding the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Felix Kulov, interior minister and head of the central election committee.
Akmatbayev's registration was revoked on the grounds that he had concealed a previous conviction and violated residence qualifications. Akmatbayev was seeking to become a legislator following the killing of his brother, Tynychbek Akmatbayev, chairman of the parliament's law and order committee, during a prison riot when he was inspecting a penal colony last October.
Bakiyev said a court should rule on Akmatbayev's registration. "I believe the court will make the right decision," he said.
Businessmen and major shopping centers are closing offices and evacuating goods in fear of a repetition of violent events in March 2005, the "tulip revolution," which ousted former President Askar Akayev and brought the incumbent authorities to power.
