Constitution of Kyrgyzstan

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Kyrgyzstan

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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan approved the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan on 8 November, 2006 following several months of political discord. Twenty-five opposition legislators had called on President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to approve a new constitution or resign and Bakiyev critics and members of the For Reforms! opposition coalition engaged in a week-long protest in the streets of Bishkek prior to parliamentary approval.^[1]. Following the protests, the parliament drafted a new constitution, which President Bakiyev signed into law on 9 November 2006^[2][3]. However, calls for Bakiyev to resign continued: opposition lawmaker Melis Eshimkanov returned to Bishkek's Ala-Too Square with several hundred protesters, chanting "Bakiev! Go! Bakiev! Go!"^[4] The largely peaceful acceptance of the constitution is widely seen as an unprecedented step in the democratization of Kyrgyzstan and a step forward in political liberalization for Central Asia.^[5]

The constitution replaced the original Kyrgyz constitution, which was adopted when Kyrgyzstan became an independent country, following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Contents 1 Powers as Outlined 1.1 Draft 1.2 Compromise Amendments 2 Prior to approval 2.1 Protests 2.2 Attacks on the Media 3 Approval in Parliament 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Powers as Outlined

[edit] Draft

The first draft of the constitution put the National Security Service and the Prosecutor-General's Office under the control of the legislative branch of government. The president would need legislative approval to dismiss heads of the Central Election Commission and the Accounting Chamber. The political party with the most members in parliament would appoint the Prime Minister. Parliament membership would be increased from 75 to 90 seats. Opposition lawmaker Azimbek Beknanarov said, "With regard to the formation of the government, if a party wins more than 50 percent of the seats in parliament, one of its representatives will automatically be prime minister. If no party has a majority, then the president will entrust the party that garnered the most votes with the task of choosing a prime minister. The prime minister will form the government that will be approved by the president."^[4]

[edit] Compromise Amendments

Parliamentary members agreed to two of Bakiyev's amendments to the draft constitution: his signature as one of the co-authors of the constitution and the president's right to appoint local judges. Opposition lawmaker Temir Sariyev said that if the government fails to "adopt a new constitution and send people home by this evening, then we may find ourselves in a difficult situation. The president had to understand that. There are, in the history of a state, some important moments. Our only demand is that Bakiyev quickly implement the reforms. The president must do that; he must behave like a responsible politician." Bakiyev will remain President and Felix Kulov will remain Prime Minister until 2010 because Bakiyev signed the Constitution.^[4]

[edit] Prior to approval

[edit] Protests

The For Reforms! opposition coalition announced on 1 November that it planned to have 10,000 supporters in the streets of Bishkek on 2 November protesting the perceived lack of constitutional reform that Bakiyev promised when voters elected him in July 2005.^[1] Opponents also accused the Bakiyev administration of failing to deal with corruption and rising crime.^[2] The Kyrgyz government responded by issuing a press release stating that "Kyrgyzstan is going through one of the most crucial moments in its history... The government calls for wisdom, dialogue, and cooperation from all political forces with the goal of preserving peace and stability for the sake of the future democracy and civilized development of Kyrgyzstan."^[1]

As the opposition coalition had promised, thousands of For Reforms! demonstrators set up tents and yurts in Bishkek's Ala-Too square.^[5] The protesters carried placards, made speeches and played patriotic music in the square and outside the presidential office building nearby, while hundreds of policemen monitored the situation. Bishkek police estimated there were 5,000 protesters, while BBC News correspondents estimated there were at least 10,000.^[6] Many business owners closed and boarded up their shops, fearing a repeat of the looting that took place during the Tulip Revolution of 2005, should Bakiyev and the opposition fail to reach a compromise. On 3 November, Prime Minister Felix Kulov accused the opposition of attempting to stage a coup, based on the security services' recording of alleged conversations between opposition leaders. However, Bakiyev played down this threat, stating that "There are no forces to carry out a coup. But there are intentions." Opposition leaders rejected the allegations. ^[7]

The protests reached their peak on 7 November when For Reforms! protesters and pro-Bakiyev demonstrators clashed violently in the square in front of the parliament building. Several people were injured in the confrontation and riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.^[8]

[edit] Attacks on the Media

Marat Tokoyev, the head of Journalists, a non-governmental organization, complained on 8 November that the websites of AKIpress and 24.kg news agencies were hacked on 2 November. As a result of the attacks, both websites were rendered inaccessible from outside Kyrgyzstan until 7 November. Officials for Tazar.kg, another media outlet, said hackers destroyed their news archive, forcing the temporary closure of their website. Independent TV stations NTS and Piramida also experienced transmission problems during the protests, which they attributed to unidentified attackers.^[9]

[edit] Approval in Parliament

The speaker of the Supreme Council, Marat Sultanov, announced that the legislature had passed a new constitution after reading the document out loud twice. Following the readings, he said, "Now, dear colleagues, I suggest that you vote this proposal -- sorry, this constitution -- in the second reading. Please, proceed!...The [constitution] is adopted by 65 'yes' votes!" Members of parliament then cheered. Of the 71 members of the Supreme Council, 68 voted for the new constitution. Three did not vote quickly enough to be counted when Sultanov made the announcement. Cheers followed parliamentary member Akmatmek Kedilbekov's statement that "it is the nation that won. Both the president and the opposition won!"^[4] The entire Parliamentary session took less than an hour.^[10]

State Secretary Adakhan Madumarov told the members of parliament prior to the session that Bakiyev approved the draft and signed amendments allowing the parliament to pass the constitution. When reporters asked Madumarov why Bakiyev had taken a long time to sign the amendments, Madumarov replied, "Long? You know how heavy those legislative procedures are. Every single dot, every single comma must be examined by legal experts and they must then give their conclusions to the president. This is the norm for all [draft] laws, not only for this one. But rest assured that the president will sign it today."^[4]

[edit] See also

• People's Movement of Kyrgyzstan
• Elections in Kyrgyzstan
• Tulip Revolution
• Askar Akayev

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Praise, Warnings For Kyrgyz Constitution Deal
• New Kyrgyz Constitution Comes Into Effect
• Kyrgyz President Signs New Constitution
• Kyrgyzstan: Bakiev Weighs Response As Deputies Hope To Review Draft Constitution
• Kyrgyz President Sacks Regional Governor
• Kyrgyzstan: Deputies Take Legal Steps For New Constitution
• Kyrgyz Opposition Lawmakers Call For Emergency Session
• Kyrgyzstan: Crisis Deepens After President Proposes Constitutional Changes
• Kyrgyz rally against corruption
• Kyrgyzstan leader agrees to limit powers
• Kyrgyz PM Airs Concerns Over Constitution Process
• U.S. Welcomes New Kyrgyz Constitution