Kyrgyzstan: More power for the president planned

A constitutional referendum will be held in Kyrgyrzstan on 11 April 2021 after the Kyrgyzstan parliament approved the necessary draft law, as reported by Asia News on 8 March 2021. According to The Diplomat (29 January 2021), Sadyr Japarov, who was sworn in as president on 28 January 2021, has a list of 61 constitutional amendments to be voted on, which are thought to mean more power for the president and less for parliament. However, the complete text of the proposed new Constitution has not yet been made available for parliamentary discussion. Rolf Zeegers, World Watch Research analyst, regards these developments as worrying: "Up until now, Kyrgyzstan can claim to be the only truly democratic country in Central Asia, with all other states in the region being under authoritarian control. In all probability, that distinction will be lost with this proposed new constitution. It remains to be seen what this will mean for Christians in the country but it is likely to lead to tighter measures and increased surveillance."