Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev Monday named his election partner Feliks Kulov as the country's interim prime minister, according to reports reaching in Alma Ata here from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

Under Kyrgyzstan's constitution, the parliament would adopt his nomination within two weeks.

Kulov, 57, held a press conference in April declaring he would run in the presidential elections slated for July 10.

However, on May 13, he reached an agreement with then Prime Minister and interim President Bakiyev to give up his candidacy.

In exchange, Bakiyev pledged to name Kulov prime minister if he was successfully elected.

Kulov served as vice-president from February to June 1992 before he resigned over his involvement in supplying arms to Tajikistan. He was put in jail on charges of corruption and embezzlement in 2000.

He was released from prison by opposition supporters during the political turmoil in March that toppled the government of former President Askar Akayevich Akayev. The Supreme Court quickly cleared him of the earlier charges.

Source: Xinhua