European Forum

Kyrgyz vote in favour of a parliamentary democracy

On 27 June the Kyrgyz people voted for their political future in a referendum. Over 90% of the participants voted in favour of the proposed constitution in which power will shift from the president to the parliament. By accepting this constitutional change Kyrgyzstan will become the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia.

Nearly 70% of Kyrgyz voters turned up. OSCE monitored the elections and stated that 'although there were evident shortcomings, the reported high turnout indicates citizens' resilience and desire to shape the future of their country'. Ambassador Boris Frlec, head of the observation mission, praised the interim government for 'organising a remarkably peaceful process' after the ethnic upheavals that ravaged the country in the past two weeks.

Roza Otunbayeva, head of the interim government, casted her vote in the southern city of Osh to show that the country is united. The ethnic conflicts were located in the south where the Uzbek minority is living. Some Uzbeks had problems voting, because their passports were destroyed during the riots or they were afraid to leave their neighbourhoods to vote. The interim government decided that people could vote without their passport if they registered their home address at a municipal office. In some dangerous areas busses were used to pick up Uzbeks from their quarter to drive them safely to the voting booth. Overall, the international election commissions administered the process in a largely transparent, collegiate and timely manner.

The new constitution not only provides a shift in power, but is also a legitimation of the new interim government that lacked an official backing so far. Roza Otunbayeva will be Kyrgyzstan's interim President until December 2011 and she will form a new caretaker government. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for October and will be held once in five years. The presidential term is limited to one period consisting of six years.

Opposition parties and the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, are sceptical of the election outcome. They doubt whether 90% of the Kyrgyz people voted in favour of democratisation. Former Kyrgyz President, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, is still popular among a considerate amount of Kyrgyz. His popularity is not reflected in the election outcome. Followers of the former President accuse the interim government of electoral fraud. The Russian President is concerned about the domestic problems Kyrgyzstan is facing and the incapability of the government in dealing with the current situation.

Sources: RFE/RL (image); OSCE; BBC;