BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has approved a new, slimmed down government as the Central Asian nation moves forward less than four months after a public uprising ousted the country's rulers for the third time since 2005.
The new government was sworn in on February 3 after Japarov endorsed the parliament's approval of Prime Minister Ulukbek Maripov's cabinet.
The 42-year-old prime minister, who previously led Kyrgyzstan's Account Chamber, told parliament that the new government has been trimmed considerably -- listing 16 Cabinet members compared with the previous 48 members.
Kyrgyzstan has been in crisis since parliamentary elections in October led to protests that triggered the toppling of the government and the resignation of then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
Japarov was among several prominent politicians freed from prison by protesters during the unrest. He had been serving a 10-year prison sentence for hostage taking during a protest against a mining operation in northeast Kyrgyzstan in October 2013. He has steadfastly denied the charge.
Japarov, 52, was elected as president last month after scoring a landslide victory in an election that international observers said "generally respected" fundamental freedoms even though the vote was not "fully fair."
Japarov was sworn in last month.
Trimmed-Down Kyrgyz Cabinet Sworn In After Parliament's Approval
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Ulukbek Maripov in parliament on February 3.