Kyrgyzstan votes on constitution boosting president’s powers

MOSCOW (AP) — Voters in Kyrgyzstan will be casting ballots on whether to approve a new constitution that would substantially increase the president’s powers. The Sunday referendum comes three months after Sadyr Zhaparov was elected president, following the ouster of the previous president amid protests. That was the third time in 15 years that a leader of the Central Asian country had been driven from office in a popular uprising. In the election that brought him to office, voters also approved a referendum on whether presidential powers should be increased. The proposed new constitution reduces the size of the country’s parliament by 25%and gives the president the power to appoint judges and heads of law-enforcement agencies.