Constitution referendum an unassured step toward stability
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Kyrgyzstan is going ahead with a constitutional referendum on Sunday to create a parliamentary democracy and give legitimacy to an interim government that took power after former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in April.
The interim government headed by Roza Otunbayeva has whipped up an unprecedented propaganda drive to popularize the referendum and has mobilized police and military forces across the country to secure a peaceful vote.
Anti-government political factions, meanwhile, were trying to stir up trouble in violence-prone areas and create a horrific atmosphere in order to scare away voters.
The United States and Russia, which both have air bases in the former Soviet republic, say they would support a strong government in order to contain the spread of violence that killed at least 264 people in inter-ethnic clashes earlier this month.
Finnish MP Kimmo Kiljunen, the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Parliamentary Assembly's special representative for Central Asia, said here Wednesday that "if Kyrgyzstan is not to hold a referendum, the situation will get worse."
Different interests clash within Kyrgyzstan
The Sunday ballot will ask Kyrgyzs two bundled questions -- do they support a new constitution that diminishes presidential powers and strengthens parliamentary authority; do they agree to endorse provisional leader Roza Otunbayeva as acting president for 18 months.
Voters need simply to check one box -- yes or no -- to answer both questions.
The core content of the new constitution is to transfer the country from a presidential system to a parliamentary democracy.
Bakiyev said in exile that Kyrgyzstan isn't prepared for parliamentary democracy and that the presidential system is more suitable for the current national situation.
His view was echoed by some small political parties in Kyrgyzstan such as Ata-Jurt (Fatherland) that accused the draft of the new constitution of being crass, full of loopholes and even self-contradictory.
For those parties that failed to enter the interim government, making a mess of the situation and seeking a government reshuffle were their priorities. That's because it would be even harder for them to meet self interests if they missed the chaotic period.
In addition, some extremist ethnic groups were reportedly planning more bloodshed on Sunday in volatile southern regions.
For the provisional government, a big voter turnout would embody more public confidence in the new government and strengthen its power and authority.
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