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Kyrgyz Citizens Overwhelmingly Approve New Constitution

   Gabe Joselow | Moscow 28 June 2010
   Kyrgyzstan's  interim  government  leader  Roza  Otunbayeva  casts her
   ballot  at  a  polling  station  the  southern  Kyrgyz  city  of  Osh,
   Kyrgyzstan, Sunday, June 27, 2010

Photo: AP

   Kyrgyzstan's  interim  government  leader  Roza  Otunbayeva  casts her
   ballot  at  a  polling  station  the  southern  Kyrgyz  city  of  Osh,
   Kyrgyzstan 27 June 2010

   Kyrgyzstan's  central  elections  committee  says 90 percent of voters
   cast  ballots  in  favor  of a new constitution that will increase the
   power of parliament and lay the groundwork for national elections.
   The  country's  interim leader, Roza Otunbayeva, heralded the results,
   saying  the  referendum was valid and that it succeeded despite fierce
   resistance  from  its  opponents.   She had pushed for the referendum
   despite  calls  that  it  be  delayed in the aftermath of inter-ethnic
   clashes  in  the  south  earlier  this  month.   The  fighting killed
   hundreds  of  people and displaced some 400,000 others - mainly ethnic
   Uzbeks.
   The  provisional  government, which took power following the overthrow
   of  President  Kurmanbek  Bakiyev  in April, hopes approval of the new
   constitution will grant it more legitimacy.
   Some members of the opposition accuse the government of falsifying the
   results  of  the  referendum and the reported high voter turnout of 70
   percent.
   International   observers  from  the  Organization  for  Security  and
   Co-operation  in  Europe  said  Kyrgyz authorities, for the most part,
   administered the vote in a transparent manner.

   Spokesperson for the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
   Rights  Jens  Eschenbaecher sais under the circumstances, the vote was
   well organized.

   It  is  now time in the coming months to address the shortcomings that
   were  observed  in  lieu of the upcoming parliamentary elections later
   this year."
   Citing  the problems, OSCE says the registration process was imperfect
   and there were not enough safeguards to prevent multiple voting.
   Meantime,  on  the  sidelines  of  the  G20  summit in Canada, Russian
   President Dmitri Medvedev said he had doubts the new Kyrgyz government
   will  be  effective.  He  said  he  cannot  image  that the parliament
   republic  model  will  work  in  Kyrgyzstan.  Medvedev also expressed
   concerns  that a weak government will allow extremist elements to gain
   power.
   Kyrgyzstan  is  a  former Soviet republic that houses both Russian and
   U.S.  military  bases.   Russia has expressed concerns before about a
   lack of security in the country and its role as a major route for drug
   trafficking.

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