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BISHKEK : Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev accepted the resignation of his prime minister on Thursday and appointed an opposition figure in his place in a bid to defuse a growing political crisis.
Prime Minister Azim Isabekov tendered his resignation "in order to preserve the stability of the country," a government spokeswoman, Roza Daudova, told AFP.
The president's office said Bakiyev had accepted the resignation and had appointed moderate opposition figure Almaz Atambayev as interim prime minister, tasking him with forming a government.
"I hope this step... will give positive results, help end the escalation of social tension and force those people who are desperate for power at any cost to think long and hard," Bakiyev said.
This ex-Soviet state is seen by outside powers as a strategic crossroads, as it borders China and lies close to Afghanistan.
It hosts separate Russian and US airbases a few kilometres (miles) apart.
But the country has experienced continued instability since former president Askar Akayev was ousted in a 2005 uprising known as the "tulip revolution."
Opposition forces seeking Bakiyev's resignation have threatened major street protests starting April 11.
The change of prime minister came after Bakiyev refused to authorize Isabekov's decision to sack seven cabinet members on Wednesday and appoint opposition figures in their place.
Isabekov had only held the post since January, following the resignation from the post of Bakiyev's influential former ally Felix Kulov.
The president, who the opposition has accused of corruption and mismanagement, has ruled out early elections.
But on Wednesday he said he might agree to hold a referendum on his leadership this summer.
"The appointment of Atambayev... is a step towards the opposition on the part of the authorities, but the opposition must not take advantage of this situation," said State Secretary Adakhan Madumarov, a key Bakiyev ally.
Atambayev is a leader of the For Reforms opposition movement, a broad coalition that wants to reduce presidential powers and implement economic reforms.
Former foreign minister and tulip revolution leader Roza Otunbayeva, who is now in opposition, said the new appointment "creates the possibility of finding a way out of the impasse that our society finds itself in."
But the leader of the more radical Ata-Meken opposition party, Kazymbek Raimkul-uulu, said Atambayev's appointment was only a desperate attempt by Bakiyev to keep his post.
"The president did not act for the people but only to stay in power... There should be a complete change of the system... a new constitution and early elections. Anything else is unacceptable," Raimkul-uulu said.
- AFP /ls
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