Parliament endorses Constitutional amendments

As the news agency 24.kg earlier reported, the amendments deprive the president of a right to appoint Secretary of State. The post has been abolished as a part of the state administration reforms in the country. The draft bill also provides for abolishment of the president’s executive office, the Security Council, the National Guard and the leader’s powers on their forming.

The document also proposes to delegate powers on establishment of Presidential Council and other consultative and coordinating bodies to the head of the state. Representatives of the civil society will be expectedly involved in the bodies’ activity to work out recommendations on the most essential, socially important issues and problems.

The council will include representatives of the President’s Institute, Parliament, government and other bodies and organizations.

The draft bill was submitted to the Kyrgyz Parliament for consideration at the end of 2009, however the lawmakers decided to postpone discussion of the document and hand it over to the Kyrgyz Constitutional Court.

In general, the court has endorsed the amendments but with a reservation that the President’s Council would not be entitled to propose a person for execution of president’s authority.

Deputies of the relevant committee completed the draft bill with regulation about the State Council which will be entitled to elect acting president. The council will be supposedly convened in three days and will include parliament speaker and the head of the government.

Only Roza Otunbaeva, Chief of Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, harshly criticized the amendments, while majority of her colleagues voted for the draft bill.