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Kyrgyz court chairwoman proposes amending constitution
3/4/2005 7:46

The chairwomen of the Kyrgyz Constitutional Court Cholpon Bayekova called for a revision of the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan Saturday to resolve problems concerning a possible resignation of ousted President Askar Akayev.
Bayekova proposed the possibility of Akayev's resigning outside the country in the presence of representatives of the Parliament and said the scheduled presidential election in June will probably take place with or without Akayev's resignation.

AKAYEV'S RESIGNATION
Akayev has verbally agreed to resign as president, the Interfax news agency quoted the Kyrgyz parliament speaker as saying Saturday.
"A verbal agreement has been received from the president that he will relinquish power," said Omurbek Tekebayev, speaker of the newly-inaugurated parliament elected in the disputed polls in February and March.
A Kyrgyz parliamentary delegation headed by Tekebayev will leave Saturday evening for Moscow to discuss with Akayev the details of his resignation, the Kyrgyz parliament press service said.
Akayev is expected to sign a resignation document in Moscow, Tekebayev said, adding that the resignation ceremony in Moscow will be attended by a state notary and the press.
Akayev, who fled to Russia amid opposition protests last week, suggested in a Russian television interview Tuesday that he might be willing to submit a formal resignation if his security is guaranteed by the new Kyrgyz parliament, but new Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev rejected Akayev's return on security reasons.
The Kyrgyz constitution stipulates that the president should return to Kyrgyzstan and announce his resignation to all members of the Parliament.
But Bayekova proposed to revise the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan at a special constitutional session on Saturday "to prevent instability." She also said that Akayev's resignation could be signed outside the country as long as it is witnessed by a notary.
"We need a critical approach to the Constitution to prevent instability. People should be confident of the legitimacy of the existing authorities," Bayekova said.
Bayekova did not disclose how the Constitution might be amended.
Bayekova said Akayev's return and resignation before the parliament "would be ideal, but we do not want his life to be in danger. He does not want this either."

PRESIDENTIAL VOTE LIKELY TO PROCEED AS PLANNED
Bayekova also said a presidential election, scheduled for June 26, would probably take place even if Akayev does not resign before then.
She said the election will be legitimate because the decision was made by a legitimate parliament.
But Felix Kulov, a key opposition figure believed to be a likely strong contender in the presidential vote, has said without Akayev's resignation before the parliament in Kyrgyzstan the legitimacy of the election would be called into question.

 



 Xinhua