Day of Silence in Kyrgyzstan ahead of constitutional referendum
By Trend
The Day of Silence has been declared in Kyrgyzstan ahead of referendums to amend the constitution and elect members of local councils, both to be held Dec. 11.
On the Day of Silence, any agitation is prohibited, according to the Kyrgyz law.
During the constitutional referendum Kyrgyz citizens will be able to vote for or against the introduction of over 20 amendments to the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan.
The amendments, in particular, envisage strengthening the prime minister’s powers in relation to the parliament of Kyrgyzstan. Currently, the Kyrgyz parliament has great influence. The ruling coalition in the parliament approves the composition of the government, and if the coalition breaks apart, the government resigns. Last time the government had to resign in October 2016.
The amendments will allow prime minister to appoint and dismiss heads of local state administrations, as well as to appoint and dismiss members of the government.
In addition, the amendments open up an opportunity for MPs to serve as prime minister or first deputy prime minister without waiving their mandates. Thus, a prime minister of Kyrgyzstan will be able to simultaneously control both the government and the majority in parliament.
The amendments also cover the regulations of the Constitution relating to high values – human rights and citizenship. It is proposed to amend an article about creating a family and indicate that marriage may be concluded only between a man and a woman, instead of “two people” as indicated in the current constitution.
According to the amendments to the constitution, the authorities will be able to deprive the Kyrgyz nationals of citizenship in cases if they join the Islamist groups in the Middle East, Afghanistan or Pakistan. At present, the constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic guarantees that the citizens can not be deprived of citizenship.
During the referendum, citizens can vote "for" and "against" all amendments as a whole. It is impossible to choose some amendments out of a list of amendments. The referendum will be declared valid if more than 30 percent out of 2.851 million citizens included in the electoral lists cast vote.
The voting will take place from 8:00 to 20:00 (GMT+5).
Kyrgyzstan's current constitution was adopted in the referendum in June 2010, immediately after the overthrow of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Those amendments changed the form of government in Kyrgyzstan from presidential to parliamentary. Kyrgyzstan’s main law has been changed several times since 1991 when the country gained independence.
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