Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz President Won't Sack Government, Urges Consensus

President Kurmanbek Bakiev (file photo) (AFP)

October 25, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev, whom opponents have been accusing of failing to meet pre-election promises, today ruled out sacking his government.

TEXT SIZE - +

October 25, 2006

Addressing residents in southern Jalal-Abad Oblast, Bakiev praised Prime Minister Feliks Kulov's team for improving Kyrgyzstan's economic indicators.

A statement posted on the president's official website quotes Bakiev as saying he and parliament should reach a consensus on proposed constitutional reforms by November 20.

Otherwise, he said the issue would have to be settled through a referendum in December.

The proposed constitutional changes, which lawmakers hope will help curtail the president's prerogatives, have been a major source of contention between Bakiev and the legislature.

The head of state today confirmed that he will address parliament on October 30 to lay out his vision of Kyrgyzstan's future form of government.

Bakiev has already said that he favors a constitution that maintains a strong executive.

(with material from 24.kg and AKIpress)

Central Asia In Focus

THE COMPLETE STORY: Click on the icon to view a dedicated webpage bringing together all of RFE/RL's coverage of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Production and distribution of rap music is not officially banned, but it

Yo! Turkmen Rappers Flip The Script On Repression

For a growing number of Turkmen youth, rap music has become a way to express their daily struggles and inspire political change in one of the world's most oppressive countries. More