BISHKEK (KYRGYZSTAN) – Kyrgyzstan’s deputies said on Thursday that the parliament failed to gather a quorum in an overnight session, creating a crisis in the Central Asian country as rival groups are staking claims to form the government after ousting the cabinet.
In the former Soviet republic, thousands are agitating against the results of a parliament election and they have seized government buildings.
Three opposition groups have fielded candidates for the post of interim prime minister, local news website Akipress quoted deputy Ryskeldi Mombekov as saying.
Apart from Sadyr Zhaparov and Tilek Toktogaziyev, who have already revealed their intention to contest, Omurbek Babanov, former cabinet head, is also a contender.
The outgoing parliament is also divided into two groups and they held separate meetings outside the headquarters ransacked by protesters, said Mombekov. One group met overnight in a hotel and it comprised 40 MPs. There has to be a 61-vote majority to take a major decision like naming a cabinet.
MP Elvira Surabaldieva posted a video of the meeting, saying it failed to pass a motion to impeach President Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
After being closed on Tuesday following the protests, Kyrgyzstan’s central bank allowed financial institutions to reopen on Thursday. This comes as business associations warned the nation of 6.5 million was likely to face food shortages if banks and tax offices remained closed.