BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – President Akayev reportedly fled yesterday after protesters stormed his headquarters, seized control of state television, and rampaged through government offices, throwing computers and air conditioners out of windows.

A leading opponent of the Akayev regime, Felix Kulov, was freed from prison and praised the “revolution made by the people.” Mr. Kulov said Mr. Akayev had signed a letter of resignation, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Members of the reinstated parliament that was in power before February’s disputed election met last night to discuss keeping order in the nation and conducting a new presidential vote, perhaps as early as May or June.

Legislators in the upper house elected a former opposition lawmaker, Ishenbai Kadyrbekov, as interim president, but the lower chamber did not immediately approve the choice.

Mr. Kadyrbekov, a Communist lawmaker in the previous bicameral parliament, had been disqualified by authorities from running in the disputed elections in February and early March, which fueled the protests.

An opposition activist, Ulan Shambetov, who briefly sat in Mr. Akayev’s office chair to celebrate, praised the latest uprising to sweep a former Soviet republic.

“It’s not the opposition that has seized power, it’s the people who have taken power. The people. They have been fighting for so long against corruption, against that [Akayev] family,” he said.

The takeover of government buildings in Bishkek followed similar seizures by opposition activists in southern Kyrgyzstan, including the second-largest city, Osh. Those protests began even before the first round of parliamentary elections on February 27 and swelled after March 13 run-offs that the opposition said were seriously flawed. American and European officials concurred.

Later yesterday, Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court declared the election invalid and recognized the former parliament as the legitimate legislature, said former parliamentary speaker Abdygany Erkebayev.

Mr. Akayev’s whereabouts were not known. Both the opposition and Russian news agencies said he had left the country but American officials raised doubts about whether he was no longer in Kyrgyzstan.

An opposition leader, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, appeared on state TV and declared: “Akayev is no longer on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.”

The Interfax news agency, without citing sources, said Mr. Akayev had flown to Russia, but later said he had landed in Kazakstan.

However, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was asked about the reports during a stop in Guatemala

“The intelligence reports do not verify what you cited from press reports. I’m confident there will be no issue with respect to U.S. forces,” Mr. Rumsfeld said.

Mr. Bakiyev also said the prime minister had resigned but that those in charge of the Security, Interior, and Defense ministries were working with the opposition. Politics in Kyrgyzstan depends as much on clan ties as on ideology, and the fractious opposition has no unified program beyond calls for more democracy, an end to poverty and corruption, and a desire to oust Mr. Akayev, who held power in the former Soviet republic for 15 years.

The fragmented opposition has shown no signs it would change policy toward Russia or the West – and unlike in recent anti-government protests in Georgia and Ukraine, foreign policy has not been an issue.

But any change would have impact, since both America and Russia have cooperated with Mr. Akayev and have military bases near Bishkek. There are about 1,000 American troops at Manas air base outside Bishkek. Mr. Rumsfeld said he didn’t believe they would be adversely affected by the turmoil.

Kyrgyzstan’s role as a conduit for drugs and a potential hotbed of Islamic extremism, particularly in the impoverished south, makes it volatile. There is no indication, however, that the opposition would be more amenable to Islamic fundamentalist influence than Mr. Akayev’s government has been.

“The future of Kyrgyzstan should be decided by the people of Kyrgyzstan, consistent with the principles of peaceful change, of dialogue and respect for the rule of law,” a State Department spokesman, Adam Ereli, said.

The takeover began with a rally yesterday morning on the outskirts of Bishkek, where about 5,000 protesters roared and clapped when an opposition speaker said they soon would control the entire country.

“The people of Kyrgyzstan will not let anybody torment them,” Mr. Bakiyev told the crowd. “We must show persistence and strength, and we will win.”

The interior minister, Keneshbek Dushebayev, addressed demonstrators and urged them to obey the law, but he also departed from his warnings a day earlier of a violent crackdown, saying no force would be used against peaceful protesters.

About 1,000 people surged toward the hulking, Soviet-era building that contained Mr. Akayev’s offices and met little resistance from the helmeted riot police who held truncheons and shields next to a protective fence. About half of the crowd entered through the front. Others smashed windows with stones, tossed papers, and tore portraits of Mr. Akayev in half and stomped on them.

Some demonstrators were injured during a clash with a group of truncheon-wielding men in civilian clothes and blue armbands – the color of Mr. Akayev’s party. One demonstrator had a serious head injury and a broken leg, and another had broken ribs, said the leader of the opposition Youth Movement of Kyrgyzstan, Iskander Shamshiyev.

A spokesman for the International Red Cross in Geneva, Vincent Lusser, said its staff had seen “a few dozen wounded” in Bishkek hospitals – most with injuries sustained in falls or fistfights. Hundreds of police watched from outside the fence, where thousands more protesters remained, appearing disorganized and unwilling to act. Neither side visibly carried any firearms.

Officials left through a side door, protected by Interior Ministry troops. Some camouflage-clad troops also left peacefully. Many of the demonstrators wore pink or yellow headbands signifying their loyalty to the opposition – reminiscent of the orange worn by protesters who helped bring in a pro-Western president in Ukraine last year and the rose hues worn in Georgia in 2003.

At one point, a protester charged through the square on horseback, a yellow opposition flag waving, and protesters chanted, “Akayev, go!”

Dozens of youths rampaged inside the building, some smashing furniture and looting supplies, ignoring protest organizers urging them to stop. Broken glass littered the floors and a drugstore in the building was ransacked.

“It’s the victory of the people. But now we don’t know how to stop these young guys,” said Noman Akabayev, who ran unsuccessfully in the elections.