Kyrgyz prime minister resigns but denies corruption allegations

Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister Temir Sariyev quit on on Monday over corruption allegations involving a road-building contract won by a Chinese company.

Sariyev, who had been in power for less than a year, stepped down while denying claims he had a vested interest in a $100 million tender to build a highway in the ex-Soviet country's eastern Issyk Kul province.

"During the most difficult times I fought for my principles. But rumours and presumptions have a negative impact on the work of the government," Sariyev told the parliament.

"Stability in society is what I value most," he added.

A parliamentary commission investigating the tender won by Chinese firm Long Hai called for Sariyev's resignation after meeting at the weekend.

Sariyev was the fifth prime minister in as many years in the Russia-alligned country, which has experienced two revolutions since independence from the USSR.

Under current President Almazbek Atambayev, who is constitutionally restricted to a single six-year term ending in 2017, no premier has served longer than 18 months.

Kyrgyzstan is one of the poorest countries that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and is strongly dependent on remittances sent home by migrants working in Russia.

The national economy has taken a sharp hit from the collapse of the Russian ruble that has affected its own national currency, the som, and slowed production at the country's Kumtor gold mine, one of the country's biggest assets.