Kyrgyzstan president appoints opponent as prime minister

An activist stands in front of the Kyrgyz government headquarters on the central square in Bishkek (Vladimir Voronin/AP)

Kyrgyzstan’s president has appointed a politician pushing for his resignation as the new prime minister in a bid to end the political crisis engulfing the Central Asian country after a disputed parliamentary election triggered mass protests earlier this month.

President Sooronbai Jeenbekov signed a decree appointing politician Sadyr Zhaparov as the new prime minister just a day after refusing to do so over concerns of whether he was legitimately nominated to the post by the country’s parliament.