Lambs to the slaughter: sheep sacrificed by Kyrgyzstan parliament | World news | The Guardian

It has suffered two popular revolts, a bloody fistfight and a police raid that turned up a Kalashnikov.

The parliament chamber of Kyrgyzstan is clearly a place of discord, but MPs in the central Asian state have chosen an unusual way of soothing tensions, it has emerged.

Deputies in the legislature sacrificed seven sheep this morning in order to drive evil spirits out of the building, which was damaged in unrest last spring and has been the scene of scuffles between rival factions.

Shairbek Mamatoktorov, a spokesman for the assembly, the Jogorku Kenesh, told reporters the ceremony was attended by almost all members, who also gave prayers for those who died in the uprising that toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev a year ago this month.

"We want peace and agreement to reign in both the parliament and the country," one MP told news agencies.

Kyrgyzstan has had a turbulent recent history. The ousting of Bakiyev was followed by ethnic clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the south of the central Asian country two months later, which left hundreds of people dead.

Roza Otunbayeva, a former foreign minister, was sworn in as interim leader in July, but the country will choose a new president in elections in October.

A new parliament with increased powers was voted in last autumn and has occasionally proved rowdy. Earlier this month, two MPs came to blows in the chamber. Police confiscated 11 guns — including an AK-47 assault rifle — in the building during a security sweep after the brawl. The pugilists later publicly exchanged traditional robes and hats as a sign of reconciliation.

The current parliament building was the seat of government until last year, when it was ransacked after the fall of Bakiyev. It was also damaged in 2005, when President Askar Akayev was overthrown in the Tulip Revolution.

Animal sacrifices are common in the Muslim central Asian states. Kyrgyzstan, a rural, mountainous country, has an estimated 4.25 million sheep; only slightly fewer than the human population.

Mamatoktorov said the meat from today's ceremony would be sent to retirement homes and orphanages.

Not all politicians supported the throat-cutting ceremony. Ondorush Toktonasyrov, a leader of the protests against Bakiyev, told Reuters it was "a sign of backward mentality".

"Deputies have no idea about parliamentary culture," he said. "This is an official building where the president works, and the parliament slaughters rams!"