Kyrgyzstan government resigns after coalition collapses

The government of Kyrgyzstan resigned Wednesday after the president’s party quit the ruling coalition, sparking fears the Central Asian country could plunge into instability, the presidency said.
President Almazbek Atambayev’s Social Democratic Party left the four-party ruling coalition on Monday after its other members did not back constitutional reforms.
A statement issued by the Kyrgyz presidency said that Atambayev had signed a decree on the “resignation of the government of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan” that went into immediate effect.
Atambayev is expected to call for the creation of a new coalition by the end of the week and later approve a new cabinet.
The coalition had been formed last year after toughly fought parliamentary elections in a move some thought could shore up stability in the volatile ex-Soviet state of six million.
The country’s parliament in April endorsed a new government led by the country’s sixth prime minister in as many years since a violent revolution claimed hundreds of lives.
In 2010, the country was thrown into turmoil when a bloody popular uprising and ethnic violence left more than 500 people dead.
Despite being the most democratic state in authoritarian Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has suffered periodic bouts of instability that have hampered its political and economic development.