Saudi Crown Prince, Italian PM Meloni discuss regional security in phone call    Musaned tops 2024 Beneficiary Satisfaction Index among 39 platforms with a rate of 96%    Saudi Arabia launches loan guarantees for SMEs to stimulate investment in environmental projects    Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, Jeddah is among top three 5-star hospitals in Middle East and North Africa    Antenna: Saudi artist Ahmed Mater opens first solo exhibition in China    79 hospitality facilities in Makkah and Madinah face penalties for closure order violations    S&P upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to A+    Trump orders 'decisive' military action against Houthis in Yemen    US Senate passes Republican spending bill to avert government shutdown    Zelenskyy says territorial control key to peace talks, rejects recognition of occupied regions    Pakistan says train hijacking death toll rises to 30, accuses India and Afghanistan of supporting militants    Al Nassr climbs to third with dominant win over Al Khaleej, Al Qadsiah slips after loss to Damac    CEDA reviews role of reforms in diversification of economy and surge in non-oil revenues    Crown Prince receives Yazeed Al-Rajhi after historic Dakar Rally 2025 victory    Saleh Al-Shehri's late penalty rescues Al Ittihad against Al Riyadh    SR17 million fines slapped on 16 individuals and companies convicted of violating Capital Market Law    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Man lives for 100 days with titanium heart in successful new trial    Argentinian court begins trial of seven healthcare professionals over Maradona's death    Singer Wheesung who wooed Korea with his ballads, found dead at 43    Prince Frederik of Luxembourg dies from rare disease    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



After the bloodshed, Kyrgyzstan votes on its future
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 24 - 06 - 2010

Kyrgyz voters will decide on Sunday whether to become Central Asia's first parliamentary democracy in a referendum that the country's interim leader says is crucial to restoring order after a wave of ethnic bloodshed. More than 250 people were killed this month and hundreds of thousands fled violence between the two main ethnic groups in southern Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic that hosts U.S. and Russian military air bases and shares a border with China, according to Reuters.
World powers are anxious that the turmoil does not spread throughout Central Asia, a strategic region rich in oil and gas that is largely run by presidential strongmen and lies on a drug-trafficking route out of Afghanistan.
Roza Otunbayeva, a former ambassador to Britain and the United States, leads the interim government that swept to power after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was deposed in a popular revolt on April 7.
The only woman ever to lead a Central Asian republic, she has rejected calls from some in her government to postpone the referendum until simmering violence subsides in the south.
The plebiscite is needed to give legitimacy to a government that has never formally been voted in, and paves the way for the Kyrgyz leaders to gain formal diplomatic recognition.
Russia and the United States, mindful of their interests in the region, were quick to engage with Otunbayeva -- a fluent English speaker educated in Moscow -- after the April revolt, but neither country has officially recognised her government.
"If we allow any delays, this will threaten us with further instability," Otunbayeva said on Tuesday during a visit to inspect the damage in the devastated southern regions.
Voters will be asked one simple question: do they approve a new constitution that devolves power from the president to the prime minister?
Under the new charter, Otunbayeva would remain interim president until the end of 2011, before stepping aside.
Parliamentary elections would be held every five years and the president limited to a single six-year term in office.
PROBLEMS IN THE SOUTH
Frequent television advertisments remind residents in the capital Bishkek of the June 27 polling day. Voters can also find the draft constitution on the interim government's website.
But in parts of the south, separated from Bishkek by a range of snowcapped mountains, administering the vote to a divided and frightened population could be Otunbayeva's biggest challenge.
The clashes have deepened divisions between the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks who have a roughly equal share of the population in the south. Many Uzbeks are blockaded inside their neighbourhoods of Osh, the epicentre of the violence, too afraid to emerge.
Many are also loath to support what they see as a Kyrgyz initiative, while there is also opposition from some ethnic Kyrgyz residents of the south, the political and family stronghold of ousted president Bakiyev.
The interim government has accused supporters of Bakiyev of fomenting the latest violence in the south, which began with a series of coordinated attacks by unidentified individuals. Bakiyev, in exile in Belarus, has denied any involvement.
A school in Osh that was to be used as a polling station was burned to the ground, while six ethnic Uzbek officials working for the election commission were detained briefly by unidentified captors on Wednesday evening.


Clic here to read the story from its source.