Kyrgyzstan approves new prime minister

One of two rival parliaments vying for authority in Kyrgyzstan approved interim leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev as prime minister today, boosting his legitimacy in the wake of the former government’s ousting last week.

Bakiyev was named acting prime minister and acting president last week by the other parliament, but his temporary designation as prime minister raised questions of whether he could legally perform the duties of the president.