Kyrgyz President Makes Government Appointments

Under the decree, Culture Minister Sultan Rayev; Finance Minister Akylbek Japarov; Labor and Social Development Ministers Uktomkhan Abdullaeva; Education and Science Minister Kanybek Osmonaliev; and Industry, Energy, and Fuel Resources Minister Igor Chudinov will retain their posts.

Sooronbai Jeenbekov was named agriculture, water, and reprocessing industry minister, while Nurlan Akmatov was named head of the State Customs Committee.

Last week, parliament confirmed moderate opposition politician Almaz Atambaev as prime minister in an effort to defuse a standoff with the opposition.

But all government officials that have since been appointed are Bakiev's supporters.

The country's two most powerful opposition blocs have refused to join a new coalition government and demanded constitutional reforms.