Tuesday, June 29, 2010

BBC News - Q&A: Kyrgyzstan referendum

BBC News - Q&A: Kyrgyzstan referendum




Kyrgyz citizens have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new constitution, in a referendum that international observers said was largely transparent and peaceful. The changes mean the leader of the interim government, Roza Otunbayeva, will now serve as president until the end of 2011 and the Constitutional Court will be abolished.
Supporters of Roza Otunbayeva in Bishkek on 16 May 2010The vote follows the uprising in April that ousted Kurmanbek Bakiyev


The new constitution paves the way for Kyrgyzstan to be declared a parliamentary republic, with a president's powers being largely devolved to parliament.
The referendum was held just two weeks after violent clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbek ethnic groups in the southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad. Officials say some 200 people were killed in the conflict, although observers believe the death toll could be 10 times that. An estimated 400,000 people - many of them from the minority ethnic Uzbek community - were displaced.
. . . click on the link in the title to read the full article
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