Kyrgyzstan's parliament has blocked President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's second attempt to reinstate the former prime minister.
Just 25 lawmakers voted Thursday in favor of restoring Prime Minister Felix Kulov to office. Thirty-eight lawmakers voted against the motion.
Kyrgyzstan's constitution allows the president to dissolve the legislature if lawmakers reject his nomination for prime minister three times.
Mr. Kulov resigned last month to protest constitutional changes that had reduced the president's powers and gave more authority to parliament.
President Bakiyev signed the new constitution in November to defuse a political crisis sparked by opposition charges he had failed to deliver promised democratic reforms.
He quickly reversed that move, however, pushing through more constitutional changes to restore his power by threatening to dissolve parliament.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
