BISHKEK (TCA) — The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan on April 13 elected Sooronbai Jeenbekov the country’s new Prime Minister.
Jeenbekov, 57, has become Kyrgyzstan’s 29th prime minister since the country’s independence in 1991.
Jeenbekov told lawmakers ahead of the vote that his Government’s program would be based on the previous cabinet’s plans pursuing the National Sustainable Development Strategy and will focus on fighting terrorism and resolving border demarcation disputes with neighboring states.
On the same day Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev signed a decree appointing Jeenbekov the Prime Minister.
Jeenbekov represents Kyrgyzstan’s ruling Social-Democratic Party of President Atambayev.
Jeenbekov graduated from the Kyrgyz Agricultural Institute as an animal husbandry engineer. He served as the governor of the southern Osh province, where he was born, between 2010 and 2012. From 23 March 2016 until his new appointment, Jeenbekov was first deputy head of the President’s Administration.
Parliament Speaker Asylbek Jeenbekov resigned after his brother had been appointed Prime Minister.
Sooronbai Jeenbekov has replaced Temir Sariyev who resigned on April 11 after several parliament members accused his cabinet of corruption.
Sariyev’s resignation came just days before a parliamentary commission was to present the results of its probe into a road construction tender that was marred by allegations of graft.
Sariyev’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 Chinese company that won the tender.
Sariyev dismissed the accusations as groundless.
