A new constitution for Kyrgyzstan?
We look at reactions and dangers facing the volatile region after the referendum.
Kyrgyzstan is on its way to adopting a new constitution.
The referendum, backed by an overwhelming 90 per cent of voters, could pave the way towards peace and stability in the country.
A bloody uprising in April resulted in the ousting of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstan’s former president.
An interim government took over the reins of power, as ethnic violence erupted between Kyrgyz and the minority Uzbeks.
Some say clashes have left up to 2,000 people dead – and according to the UN, some 400,000 refugees.
But what are the dangers facing Kyrgyzstan after this referendum? And what about concerns by the country’s neighbours, particularly Russia?
Inside Story, with presenter Hoda Abdelhamid, discusses with Mirsuljan Namazaliev, from the Central Asian Free Market Institute, Najam Abbas, a senior fellow on Central and South Asia at the The Eastwest Institute, and Dmitri Babig, a political analyst and columnist at Russia Profile.
This episode of Inside Story aired from Tuesday, June 29, 2010.