Ousted Kyrgyz leader steps down
 |  A torn portrait of ousted President Askar Akayev in Bishkek. |
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 Kyrgyzstan's president flees his office amid growing opposition protests
 Protesters take over Kyrgyzstan government headquarters.
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(CNN) -- Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, who was ousted last month by protesters who took over the White House government building, has resigned effective Tuesday, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
Earlier, Umtul Orozova, spokesman for the Kyrgyz Embassy in Moscow, said a protocol for Akayev's resignation was established and that he was to give up his post Monday.
Akayev, president of Kyrgyzstan since 1990, has been staying in Russia.
After his offices were stormed and he was ejected March 24 in a one-day revolution, Akayev vowed to retain his post. (Full story)
But last week he said he would be willing to resign if he and his family were given certain security guarantees. (Full story)
It was not immediately clear if that request was granted.
Protests in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, were triggered by parliamentary elections in February and March that many in the country and some international observers said were rigged.
The election of Akayev's daughter to parliament, and the prominent but unofficial role of his wife in the government, also angered many.
Observers -- noting the similarities of this so-called Tulip Revolution with two other political upheavals in the former Soviet Union, Georgia's 2003 Rose Revolution and Ukraine's recent Orange Revolution -- say they do not necessarily believe the political turmoil represents a direct domino effect for the region. (Full story)
Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country facing problems such as poverty and drug trafficking and lacking oil riches like its neighbors. It borders Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. It is also near Afghanistan.
There is both an American and a Russian military presence in the country, which has a population of 5 million.
The U.S. military presence amounts to 2,000 troops and private contractors at an air base outside Bishkek, U.S. officials said.
