Kyrgyzstan cabinet falls in surprise no-confidence vote

World
Europe

Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov sacked his cabinet on Thursday after a surprise no-confidence vote in parliament amid an apparent power struggle between the head of state and the leader of the ruling party.

The Central Asian nation of 6 million people, has been volatile since its independence in 1991, with political conflicts erupting into violent revolutions in 2005 and 2010.

Sapar Isakov (2nd L) speaks during a voting session at the parliament in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on April 19, 2018. /VCG Photo

Thursday’s no-confidence vote followed criticism of the cabinet’s 2017 annual report by opposition parties.

The ruling coalition, led by former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev’s Social Democratic party, suddenly withdrew its backing for Prime Minister Sapar Isakov, with 101 deputies out of 112 present voting against him.

Sacking Isakov completes a series of reshuffles that Jeenbekov began shortly after coming to power last November, removing the appointees of his predecessor Atambayev from state security and the prosecutor-general’s office.

Atambayev, who chairs the Social Democratic party but is not a member of parliament, had backed Jeenbekov in the presidential election but started criticizing him this month in a sign of a rift between the two.

Kyrgyzstan's President Sooronbai Jeenbekov at an informal summit of CIS heads of state at the Novo Ogaryovo residence on December 26, 2017. /VCG Photo

Atambayev could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

3471km

Source(s): Reuters