Kyrgyzstan parliament suspends elections

Sooronbay Jeenbekov was the third leader to step down amid political chaos in the ex-Soviet country since independence in 1991

Kyrgyzstan's parliament on Thursday suspended the holding of legislative elections, which had been due to take place in December after parliamentary polls held earlier this month were annulled.

The Central Asian country has been embroiled in political crisis following the October elections, unrest which saw demonstrators free a populist politician who quickly became acting president.

Sadyr Japarov, 51, has consolidated power since his supporters flooded into the capital after the vote and he effectively forced the president Sooronbay Jeenbekov's resignation.

Jeenbekov was the third leader to step down amid political chaos in the ex-Soviet country since independence in 1991.

Also read: Kyrgyzstan president declares new state of emergency

The original election results were annulled in a bid to tame the unrest and electoral authorities said this week that a repeat ballot would be held on December 20.

But parliament overturned that decision Thursday by suspending part of the constitution that requires new elections, a parliament spokesperson told AFP.

The move comes as Japarov -- the recently appointed Prime Minister who also inherited presidential powers following Jeenbekov's resignation -- has called for changes to the constitution.

He has proposed to shrink the legislature, alter the electoral system and create a parallel people's assembly that could force fresh elections if dissatisfied with the parliament.

He has also said that citizens should have the option to vote in a referendum on reverting to a presidential system from the current mixed system.

Japarov has angrily denied suggestions in media reports that organised crime groups backed his rapid rise to power.

The one-time lawmaker was serving a sentence for hostage-taking dating back to a 2013 incident during a rally for the nationalisation of a gold mine, before protesters freed him this month.

The turbulence has concerned Russia, which maintains a military base in the country and is a destination for hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz migrants.

"What is happening at the moment is unfortunate for Kyrgyzstan and the Kyrgyz people, be it these elections or the seizure of power," Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, in an online address for a discussion forum in Moscow.

Hoping for "a return to normal", Putin said Russia had done "a lot" to keep Kyrgyzstan "standing", referring to hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the country.