[JURIST] Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev [BBC profile] approved several new amendments to the country's new constitution [constitutional materials, in Kyrgyz] Monday, returning key powers to the presidency, including the right to appoint cabinet officials. The new constitutional amendments pushed through parliament at his urging contradict the aims of a compromise [JURIST report] reached in November which led to the adoption of a new constitution [JURIST report] restricting presidential authority. The parliament of Kyrgyzstan [JURIST news archive; BBC backgrounder] first rejected and then approved the latest constitutional amendments December 30 after Bakiyev threatened to dissolve the parliament if its members rejected the constitutional changes a second time.

Bakiyev ascended to power [JURIST report] in 2005 during the so-called Tulip Revolution [Wikipedia backgrounder] during which former president Askar Akayev [BBC profile] resigned [JURIST report] amid charges of corruption and abuse of office. AP has more.