A Kyrgyz opposition leader says President Kurmanbek Bakiev has brought nepotism back to the country, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.
Bakyt Beshimov, the former leader of the Social Democratic Party's parliamentary faction, told RFE/RL that Bakiev's November 2 appointment of Maksim Bakiev, his youngest son, to head the Central Agency for Development, Investment, and Innovation demonstrates "disdain for public opinion."
Bakiev replaced President Askar Akaev, who fled the country amid mass protests against his rule in 2005. Many Kyrgyz objected to the privileged positions given to Akaev's children and some of his close relatives.
President Bakiev was also previously criticized for giving prominent jobs to two of his brothers.
Beshimov said Bakiev's appointment of his son also shows that the president is preparing Maksim to succeed him as president. He added that Bakiev's reelection as president has given him unrestricted power.
Beshimov, a former Kyrgyz ambassador to India who also served as deputy rector of Bishkek's American University in Central Asia, has reportedly been in the United States since August for medical treatment.