2007 Kyrgyz constitutional referendum

In response to the invalidation of the constitutional amendments passed after the Tulip Revolution, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev called the referendum on 19 September 2007. The new constitution provided for a 90-seat Supreme Council (an increase from 75) elected by proportional representation, whilst members of political parties declared illegal would lose their seats. The president would have powers to appoint or dismiss the government, civil servants, the National Security Council, judges, prosecutors, directors of the National Bank and members of the Electoral Commission, but not to dissolve the Supreme Council. The new electoral law would set a 5% nationwide electoral threshold for political parties, set a gender quota of 30% and require that at least 15% of candidates were under the age of 35 and 15% were from national minorities. The changes were thought likely to see many of the independent politicians and smaller parties eliminated from the Supreme Council. ==Conduct==

According to observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), there were reports of numerous irregularities, observers being obstructed, and ballot stuffing; it also said that popular awareness of what was at stake in the referendum was low and called into question the claimed high turnout rate. The United States embassy also had concerns and said that the vote fell short of international standards. ==Results==

Constitution Electoral law ==Aftermath==

Analysts assumed that there would be early parliamentary elections in 2008 following the referendum, especially as Bakiyev had also announced that he would be founding a political party. ==References==