BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – The chairman of Kyrgyzstan's fragile ruling coalition says it has collapsed after a major defection from the four-party pact.
Kanatbek Isayev said Wednesday that the Cabinet, including the prime minister, would carry on their duties in a caretaker capacity.
The fall of the impoverished Central Asian nation's government had been widely expected and follows months of increasingly bitter animosity among coalition colleagues.
Kyrgyzstan has been plagued by political instability since a popular uprising in 2010 led to the overthrow of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and the introduction of a new constitution that handed more powers to parliament.
Explaining his party's decision to leave the coalition, Ata-Meken leader Omurbek Tekebayev cited poor economic growth over the past year.
Kyrgyzstan hosts a U.S. air base used for operations in nearby Afghanistan.
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