Attitude to the new draft Constitution in Kyrgyzstan is ambiguous: not only NGOs and opposition politicians, but also professional lawyers note its multiple shortcomings. Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the Diplomatic Academy of Russia, said to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, commenting on the results of the referendum held yesterday in Kyrgyzstan.
According to him, in addition to the fact that the draft gives the president unlimited power, it contains many poorly developed provisions, in particular on impeachment, national dignity and kurultai.
The expert believes that Sadyr Japarov intends to establish in the country a government typical for Central Asia, when power is concentrated in the hands of the president, like in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan.
At the same time, participation of 26 parties in local elections testifies to the fact that the opposition in the country is not only numerous, it is well organized. In addition, it has support from abroad and a rich experience in coups d’état.
«At first glance, voting in Kyrgyzstan does not affect Russia’s interests. However, the passions around the constitutional reform make one recall the great geopolitical game around Kyrgyzstan and its new president, in which the interests of the West, Russia and China intersected,» Vadim Kozyulin said.
«According to the expert, the West is categorically unhappy with the new strong hand in Bishkek: it is no coincidence that an unprecedented wave of criticism from Washington, Brussels and human rights organizations fell on the draft of the new Constitution proposed by Sadyr Оaparov. The West is determined to change the government in Bishkek, and its support will push the Kyrgyz opposition to new protests,» the newspaper writes.
At the same time, in order to keep the economy afloat, the government will need financial resources that the budget lacks.
The largest creditor of Kyrgyzstan to date is China ($ 1.8 billion debt). However, talks about new loans from Beijing raise fears among the population that the country will become increasingly dependent on the powerful neighbor, which is causing an increase in anti-Chinese sentiment.
According to Kommersant, in this situation, Russia will most likely have to become the main guarantor that there will be no next rollback in the Kyrgyz Republic.
«Sadyr Japarov cannot be called a pro-Russian leader, he had little to do with Moscow, many people in Moscow are embarrassed by his connections in criminal circles. However, Sadyr Japarov’s visit to Moscow in March this year before the referendum showed that Vladimir Putin is ready to interact with the Kyrgyz president to maintain stability in a strategically important CSTO and EAEU member state,» Vadim Kozyulin believes.
