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By Trend

The referendum on amending the constitution which was held in Kyrgyzstan on Dec. 11 was free and open, the Head of Mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Yevgeny Sloboda said at the press-conference on December 12, Kyrgyzstan's CEC said in the message.

The citizens were able to express their will freely, Sloboda said.

"CEC has created all the conditions for all the groups – which agitated for and against amendments. This is very important," - he said.

He also noted that experienced staff worked at the polling the stations and they were equipped with special devices, which ensured open and quiet voting process. However, some problems with the system led to some queues at the polling stations.

According to Sloboda, as much as 66 observers worked in the CIS mission.

During the constitutional referendum Kyrgyz citizens were able to vote for or against the introduction of over 20 amendments to the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan. The amendments, in particular, envisage strengthening the prime minister’s powers in relation to the parliament of Kyrgyzstan. The amendments also cover the regulations of the Constitution relating to high values – human rights and citizenship.

During the referendum, citizens could vote "for" and "against" all amendments at once. The separate voting for amendments was not available.

According to CEC preliminary data, as much as 41.74 percent of all registered voters took part in the referendum. As much as 79.7 percent of them voted in favor of the amendments.

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