Presidential Powers
Presidential Powers
The next president of Kyrgyzstan will have significantly fewer powers than any of his predecessors (there are no women standing), as a result of the nationwide referendum held in late June 2010 which shifted the balance in favour of a strengthened parliament. In addition, he will only be allowed to serve one term in office.
On paper at least, the president’s role is reduced to that of nominal head of state, whose job is to assent to decisions and appointments made by parliament and government.
The president can no longer initiate new legislation or call a referendum. His right to block laws has been curbed, and parliament will be able to override such a veto by a two-thirds majority vote, at which time the legislation enters into force automatically even without the president’s signature.
Lawmaking functions sit squarely with the 120-member parliament, which was elected in this new shape in October 2010. The majority party or coalition gets to nominate a prime minister for approval by parliament.
The head of state no longer appoints judges, no longer has oversight over the security agencies or foreign policy matters, and is not allowed to address the nation unless he does so in parliament.
Despite the overwhelming vote for a parliamentary-based system in the 2010 referendum, a good proportion of the electorate now appears to favour a complete or partial return to a strong presidency. Most of the candidates interviewed by IWPR agreed that this was the right way to go.
