Another Kyrgyz official has resigned to join the opposition, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Prosecutor Galina Pugacheva announced her resignation today and said she was joining the United Front For A Worthy Future For Kyrgyzstan.

Police in Minsk have detained a leading Belarusian opposition activist, Vintsuk Vyachorka, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported.

Kazakhstan's Justice Ministry today registered the opposition Social Democratic Party. The party is headed by a former speaker of the lower house of parliament, the Mazhilis, Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, who confirmed the party's registration to RFE/RL's Kazakh Service.

The editor of an opposition website in Azerbaijan has been jailed for campaigning against a sharp rise in energy prices.

In Zambia, the main opposition leader Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front party is calling for early elections over what he claims is the failure of President Levy Mwanawasa's government to deal with major political and economic issues in the country. The government has sharply dismissed Sata's allegations.

An opposition group in Turkmenistan says its candidate for next year's presidential elections is missing.

Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar is now the presidential candidate of Nigeria's fledgling opposition Action Congress Party. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports that Atiku's party switch has provoked a debate on his status as vice president.