Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan ? Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on Monday endorsed the newly elected parliament he previously had denounced as the product of ballot-rigging, while the lawmakers in turn formally named him prime minister.

The compromise between rival factions reduced the risk of civil war in this strategic Central Asian country of 5 million people. But it angered some of the protesters who last week ousted President Askar Akayev from power. They denounced the deal as a betrayal by Bakiyev.

The whereabouts of Akayev remains uncertain. Kyrgyzstan’s Kabar news agency Monday carried a statement attributed to him in which he said he would not resign. “I succeeded in preventing civil war,” the statement said. “I didn’t stain my hands with blood. … Following my humanistic convictions and my commitment to the principles of democracy, I had no rights to order law enforcers and the presidential guard to open fire at my people. Even a drop of shed blood cannot justify the goal to remain in power.”

Few observers believed that Akayev had any chance of regaining control now that the new parliament appears to have shifted its support to Bakiyev.