Kyrgyzstan's parliament has blocked President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's bid to reinstate the former prime minister.
Lawmakers voted 39 to 23 Thursday against the proposal to restore Prime Minister Felix Kulov, who resigned last month.
Mr. Kulov said he is confident the president will resubmit his name for consideration.
According to the constitution, the president is allowed to dissolve the legislature if lawmakers reject his nomination for prime minister three times.
Mr. Kulov stepped down 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 claims that he had failed to deliver promised democratic reforms.
He quickly reversed that move, however, pushing through constitutional changes to restore his power by threatening to dissolve parliament.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
