Kyrgyz president vetoes amendments to election law

Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva has vetoed amendments to the country’s constitution due to a lack of funding, Parliamentary Speaker Ahmatbek Keldibekov said on Thursday.

Keldibekov said the amendments in question refer to laws on the election of the president and deputies and on the Central Election Commission. Otunbayeva has said the country is unable to raise the necessary funds to implement the amendments before elections later this year.

However, Keldibekov said it would be impossible to hold the elections without passing the legislation.

The opposition faction Ar-Namys proposed on Thursday establishing a working group to introduce constitutional amendments that would give more power to the Kyrgyz president, Ar-Namys deputy Anarbek Kalmatov said.

The country’s constitution was created a year ago after a revolution that led to the ousting of authoritarian former leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev. One of its main features is that it distributed powers more evenly between the president and prime minister.

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