The president signed amendments to the country's Constitution Monday enhancing his powers and giving him the right to appoint a prime minister following approval by parliament.
The parliament approved the new draft - the second in several months - December 30 despite protests from the opposition earlier in the month that called it "authoritarian" and said it failed to address basic civil and human rights.
The previous Constitution, hastily adopted November 8 in a bid to end an ongoing political crisis, curbed much of Bakiyev's presidential powers and was a compromise between the opposition and pro-government lawmakers.
The new Constitution was prompted by the resignation of Felix Kulov and his Cabinet in mid-December amid a standoff with parliament and opposition.
Kulov, a close ally of the Kyrgyz president, originally became the prime minister in the summer of 2005, following popular protests, known as the "tulip revolution," which brought Bakiyev to power in the ex-Soviet state in Central Asia.
The Kyrgyz opposition vehemently criticized the Bakiyev-Kulov political alliance last year for failing to pursue constitutional reform and curb corruption.
