Kyrgyzstan plunged into deeper political turmoil today (Monday), when the new parliament elected in a disputed vote assumed authority and named interim leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev as the country's prime minister.
The move came just hours after the outgoing parliament, which was also vying for authority, announced that it was suspending its work in an effort to resolve the political crisis.
Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Jan Kubis, is holding talks with new Kyrgyz leaders in Bishkek. The OSCE is also preparing to send constitutional and legal experts to the Central Asian nation.
In another development, the acting Kyrgyz prosecutor-general (Azimbek Beknazarov) said President Askar Akayev is in contact with interim leaders about his formal resignation.
President Akayev fled the country last week after protesters stormed his offices and brought down his government.