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Kyrgyzstan Votes to Adopt a New Constitution

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On Sunday, 27 June 2010 Kyrgyzstan held a referendum to consider adopting a new constitution. The referendum, administered by a new (interim) Central Election Commission (CEC), was held just 80 days after the violent overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and just weeks after a violent ethnic clash between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the south of the country. With a near 70% turnout, voters overwhelmingly approved changes to the constitution affecting the electoral system, the separation of powers, the judicial system, human rights, and local self-government. With the changes Kyrgyzstan is set to become Central Asia’s first parliamentary republic, though the serious work of implementation lay ahead.