Kyrgyz leader dissolves parliament as poll criticised
22 Oct 2007 14:28:27 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds OSCE on referendum) By Olga Dzyubenko BISHKEK, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev dissolved parliament on Monday, a day after a constitutional referendum extended his authority in the Central Asian state in a vote criticised by Western observers. Kyrgyz voters approved a set of amendments on Sunday giving Bakiyev leeway in picking key cabinet officials and paving the way for his political party to gain a footing in parliament. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) expressed concern over reports of ballot-stuffing and other irregularities and urged the authorities to take action to address the violations. Kyrgyzstan has been volatile since 2005 when protesters ousted veteran leader Askar Akayev and brought Bakiyev to power. Since then, Bakiyev's unresolved stand-off with a chamber packed with Akayev-era deputies has fuelled instability. Bakiyev said that a new constitution, coupled with a new parliament, would help bring more stability. "A contradiction has emerged, a crisis between the two branches of power," Bakiyev said in a nationwide address. "In this situation ... I had to decide to dissolve (parliament), and this is what I've done. "I am convinced it will be a different, an absolutely democratic and clean election. ... With the current assembly's departure we are turning a whole page in our history." Bakiyev, himself elected in a 2005 vote judged free and fair by Western monitors, said he would set a date for the snap election after the new constitution formally comes into force. The OSCE, which did not send an extended mission to observe the poll, said it had received reports from local observers of "a high number" of violations including ballot stuffing. "The observers also noted that the population had little awareness of the constitutional reform proposals that were being decided on in the referendum," Markus Mueller, head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said in a statement. "This fact may raise serious questions about the voter turnout of more than 80 percent, which was preliminarily reported by the Central Election Commission." The opposition, itself divided over political reform, criticised the referendum as a step towards authoritarianism and said the constitution was contradictory and full of loopholes. In the Sunday poll, voters also backed separate amendments changing the election process from a single-constituency system to a proportional all-party list, in what should help the pro-presidential Ak Zhol party to gain a footing in parliament. Yet Bakiyev is seen as a liberal among his more hardline Central Asian neighbours, allowing a relatively free media, strong opposition and civil society in the mainly Muslim state which is home to U.S. and Russian military bases. The Kyrgyz leader has accused the current parliament of blocking reform and provoking political crises. But Bakiyev has been criticised himself for not being aggressive enough to stop political infighting and for failing to focus on urgent issues such as crime and poverty.
