ASTANA - Kazakhstan's parliament on Sunday unanimously confirmed the country's government in its first session since elections last month in which President Nursultan Nazarbayev's party won every seat.
Most ministers from the previous government will remain in their posts but the energy ministry will be headed by Sauat Mynbayev, who replaces Baktykozha Izmukhambetov amid controversy related to the key oil industry.
Kazakhstan halted work last week at a vast oil field operated by the Italian group ENI, in the latest squeeze on foreigners who bought into the region's massive resource wealth in the 1990s.
The action was related to environmental questions, the government's ecology minister said.
The rising pressure on ENI echoes a campaign in neighbouring Russia last year against British-Dutch Shell, which raised concerns about openness in the energy-rich region to foreign investment.
Prime Minister Karim Massimov, 42, was named to his post in January and is believed to be close to Timur Kulibayev, Nazarbayev's son-in-law who has been part of the top brass of state petroleum company Kazmunaigaz.
Addressing lawmakers on Sunday, Nazarbayev set a goal of increasing gross domestic product by 50 percent by 2012.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said though the August 18 elections "reflected welcome progress, a number of international standards were not met".
The OSCE has so far refused to declare any election in the ex-Soviet state free and fair.
09/02/2007 12:37 GMT