With the turnout in excess of 63% by 4 p.m., the Central Electoral Commission proclaimed the referendum as having taken place. Asija Sasykbayeva, the head of Interbilim Center and member of the Referendum Oversight Committee established by two dozens political parties and non-governmental organizations, called the figure quadrupled. According to the human rights activist, observers reported that the heads of local electoral commissions had been ordered to provide the necessary turnout and were therefore doing everything to carry out the order. Some lawmakers and political parties of the opposition echoed these accusations.

Danijar Usenov, former deputy premier of the government recently made acting mayor of Bishkek, denounced these and other similar accusations. "Parliamentarians condemn the way the referendum is proceeding. Have they forgotten how they themselves were elected when voters were offered free vodka, were paid, and even given a lift home?" 24.kg news agency quoted Usenov as saying.

This is the fifth referendum amending the Constitution in the years of sovereignty (similar referendums took place in 1994, 1996, 19988, and 2003). No other CIS country could match Kyrgyzstan from this standpoint. There is even a joke in the republic that referendums have become its national sport.

The first four referendums were arranged by President Askar Akayev, the latest one by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Bakiyev set the date of the referendum a month ago, on September 19. Bakiyev did so to avoid the reprimands that he was reneging on his promises of two years ago to put into motion constitutional reforms and invest some of the presidential powers in the parliament.

The referendum is expected to adopt a new Constitution, one Bakiyev had experts draft for him and that differed from Akayev's in abolition of the majoritarian system of election and introduction of the proportional one (no more elections in single-mandate districts, elections by party lists only). The Constitutional Court voided the two constitutions adopted in late 2006 this September and thus provided Bakiyev with a political and legal excuse for organization of the referendum.

Congratulating his native town of Jalalabad on its 130th anniversary on October 19, Bakiyev said, "The referendum will put a period to the principal political issue and enable us to concentrate on economic development... Bringing up living standards of the population over the next 10-15 years is the first priority."

"The republic has emerged from the plight and been developing its economy ever since," Bakiyev said. "Forget the doom and gloom predicted by the pessimists with their radical forecasts that Kyrgyzstan may even become annexed by Russia."

The Central Electoral Commission is expected to publish the results of the nationwide ballot later today. The parliament in its turn is expected to launch the self-disbandment procedures to enable the president to order snap parliamentary election closer to the end of the year (probably on December 16).

Arkady Dubnov. Vremya Novostei, October 22, 2007, p. 5. © Translated by Ferghana.Ru