Mass street protests demanding constitutional change resulted Wednesday in a compromise agreement between the opposition and pro-presidential lawmakers. The agreement will strip the president of the right to dissolve parliament and entitle legislators to appoint the prime minister and the Cabinet.
"We have coordinated the last contested issues. We will start discussing the new basic law of the country at 10.00 p.m.," Marat Sultanov said, adding that the new Constitution would be considered in two readings.
The proposed constitution must be approved by a quorum of 51 votes in the country's 75-seat legislature.
Parliamentarians and President Kurmanbek Bakiyev have agreed that parliament will consist of 90 members, half of whom will be elected on a single constituency basis and the other half will represent political parties.
Parliament also agreed to the president's proposal to alter the impeachment procedure. The number of votes required for impeachment will be increased from two thirds to three quarters, or 68 members in the new 90-seat parliament.
Parliament has now recessed, while protests of opposition and government supporters are continuing in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. On Tuesday, the protests turned violent, resulting in six people being injured after police used tear gas against the crowd.
The number of opposition protesters has substantially increased. They said they would celebrate the adoption of the new constitution, which had been their main demand.
If the constitution is adopted Wednesday, protests will end before midnight, Azimbek Beknazarov, an opposition MP and member of the For Reform movement, said but warned that parliament would dissolve itself if Bakiyev failed to sign the document.
"If he [Bakiyev] does not sign the Constitution, we 30 deputies will declare a voluntary dissolution of parliament," Beknazarov said.
