The Kyrgyz Parliament's Legislative Assembly (lower chamber) today
discussed issues related to a new version of the Constitution proposed by the
President Askar Akayev for the forthcoming referendum on February 2.
Opposition MP, Ishenbai Kadyrbekov proposed a draft decision on the
referendum to be adopted by the chamber. According to him, the chamber would
vote to ask the President to postpone the referendum until the parliament adopts
a special constitutional law on holding referendums. The opposition MPs
suggested to add and change clauses of the revised Constitution before being
voted upon. First deputy prime minister, one of the three deputies of the
Constitutional Council, Kurmanbek Osmonov spoke against the move by the
opposition deputies. He said that the new version of the main law should not be
changed before the referendum.
Some deputies have reservations about the political future of the current
President saying that he would go to another term after adopting the new version
of the Constitution because of the unclear jurisdictional definition of the
amendments to the Constitution.
The referendum will finalize two issues, namely adoption of the law on the
revision of the Kyrgyz constitution and Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev's stay in
office till December 2005 to ensure the implementation of constitutional changes.
The fate of the Parliament and Government was not mentioned in the
presidential decree on holding referendum.
discussed issues related to a new version of the Constitution proposed by the
President Askar Akayev for the forthcoming referendum on February 2.
Opposition MP, Ishenbai Kadyrbekov proposed a draft decision on the
referendum to be adopted by the chamber. According to him, the chamber would
vote to ask the President to postpone the referendum until the parliament adopts
a special constitutional law on holding referendums. The opposition MPs
suggested to add and change clauses of the revised Constitution before being
voted upon. First deputy prime minister, one of the three deputies of the
Constitutional Council, Kurmanbek Osmonov spoke against the move by the
opposition deputies. He said that the new version of the main law should not be
changed before the referendum.
Some deputies have reservations about the political future of the current
President saying that he would go to another term after adopting the new version
of the Constitution because of the unclear jurisdictional definition of the
amendments to the Constitution.
The referendum will finalize two issues, namely adoption of the law on the
revision of the Kyrgyz constitution and Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev's stay in
office till December 2005 to ensure the implementation of constitutional changes.
The fate of the Parliament and Government was not mentioned in the
presidential decree on holding referendum.