Kyrgyzstan’s parliament votes to appoint new prime minister

Moscow:

Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted to appoint a new prime minister Wednesday, two days after his predecessor resigned amid a scandal over whether the government illegally sold radio frequencies.

The lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the candidacy of Kubatbek Boronov, the former Emergency Minister who was at the helm of the Central Asian country‘s fight against the coronavirus, with 105 votes out of 116.

“I have always served the people … and in this important position I will do my best to continue serving the people,” Boronov said in parliament on Wednesday. His predecessor, Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziyev, announced that he was stepping down Monday.

He denied any involvement in the frequencies scandal, but said he resigned because “in today’s difficult conditions, when the country confronts the threat of coronavirus infection and struggles with its consequences for the economy, the government must work stably and enjoy the full confidence of citizens.” Abylgaziyev became premier in 2018.