Kyrgyzstan elects new parliament speaker

Omurbek Tekebayev, an opposition veteran lawmaker, was elected speaker of the new unicameral Parliament of Kyrgyzstan on Monday.

Tekebayev, who became the only candidate when two others backed out in the last minute before a secrete ballot, won with 56 votes out of a total of 61.

Tekebayev said immediately at the parliament that he would take the responsibility granted to him by the constitution and try his best to bring the country stability and prosperity.

The new speaker suggested the creation of a national security committee, which will work to pursue consensus of all parties and forces in current Kyrgyzstan.

He also called on the new government, which was appointed by the old parliament, to recognize the legitimacy of the new parliament.

Meanwhile on the day, there was a sign of relief in the power struggle between two rival parliaments each claiming legitimacy of its own.

The Legislative Assembly, the lower house of Kyrgyzstan's old parliament, which was seated before this year's disputed elections, announced to suspended its work on Monday.

"It's a political, not a legislative decision, made for the sake of stabilizing the situation and in the interests of the people, and in order not to set two sides of the legislative authority against each other," the speaker of the outgoing chamber Ishenbai Kadyrbekov said.

He also called on the upper house to follow suit.

Political uncertainty intensified in Kyrgyzstan as two rival parliaments vied for power following the overthrow of President Askar Akayev last week.

The old legislature has the full backing of the Supreme Court, while the newly-elected legislature, which was sworn in just two days before President Akayev was ousted, is endorsed by the Central Elections Commission.

The old legislature elected opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev as acting president and prime minister on Friday.

Some lawmakers of the contending parliaments warned earlier that they may take supporters to the streets if the decision is not in their favor, a move analysts fear will sharply aggravate the unstable situation in the country.

The head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), of which Kyrgyzstan is a member, is reportedly holding talks with leaders of various political forces to resolve the power struggle peacefully.

While the disputes are yet to be settled, the Kyrgyz capital is seeing return of order after days of unrest which has left some 10 people dead and dozens of others injured.