Kyrgyz Parliament Rejects Speaker's Resignation

Thirty-four lawmakers voted for the resignation in a secret ballot today, while a minimum of 38 votes were needed.

On 13 February, Tekebaev told parliament he preferred to resign rather than to apologize for the comments he made about President Kurmanbek Bakiev.

There were calls for Tekebayev to step down after an independent television channel aired comments by the parliament speaker in which he referred to Bakiev as "a dog" and suggested the president "hang himself from the first tree."