Kyrgyzstan held an historic referendum on Sunday to create Central Asia's first parliamentary democracy, with turn-out appearing high. Interim government leader Roza Otunbayeva arrived in a motorcade amid high security in the southern city of Osh. Smiling and appearing relaxed in a bright purple jacket, she cast her vote in a local university, Reuters reported. "Our country today is on the brink of great danger, but the results of this referendum will show that the country is united and that the people are one. It will stand strong on its own feet and move forward," Otunbayeva said after casting her vote. The referendum calls on voters to support changes to the constitution that would devolve power from the president to a prime minister, paving the way for parliamentary elections in October and diplomatic recognition for the interim government. The central election commission said 43.14 percent of the national electorate had voted by 3:00 p.m. (0900 GMT), seven hours after polling booths opened across the country of 5.3 million people. There is no minimum turnout requirement. Under the new charter, Otunbayeva -- the first woman to lead a Central Asian state -- would be interim president until the end of 2011. Parliamentary elections would be held every five years and the president limited to a single six-year term.
