Kyrgyz Parliament Approves New Prime Minister

Sooronbai Jeenbekov

Parliament in Kyrgyzstan has voted in favor of appointing Sooronbai Jeenbekov as the country’s next prime minister.

Jeenbekov told lawmakers ahead of the vote on April 13 that his government would focus on fighting terrorism, as well as resolving border demarcation disputes with neighboring states.

Jeenbekov replaces Temir Sariev who resigned on April 11 after several parliament members accused his cabinet of corruption.

Sariev's exit came just days before a parliamentary commission was to present the results of its probe into a road construction project that was marred by allegations of graft.

Sariev's critics claimed that he personally profited from the $100 million project awarded to a Chinese construction company.

Transport Minister Argynbek Malabaev claimed that his deputy had teamed up with the prime minister's entourage to lobby the interests of the Long Hai company that won the tender.

Sariev dismissed the accusations, saying that his detractors had failed to prove their claims.

Based on reporting by Interfax and AP