Kyrgyzstan Misplaces its Constitution as the Governing Coalition Collapses

One month after proposing a new constitutional referendum, Kyrgyzstani officials revealed that the government could not locate a signed copy of its constitution on October 19. Additionally, debate over the controversial referendum has led to the collapse of Kyrgyzstan's coalition government. President Almazbek Atambayev’s Social Democratic party originally proposed the referendum to “strengthen Kyrgyzstan’s sovereignty and national security,” according to Human Rights Watch.

The opposition argued, however, that the referendum would dangerously upset the existing checks and balances placed on the Prime Minister’s powers. The Council of Europe also reiterated this concern. According to the Council’s Vienna Commission, this referendum would “negatively impact the balance of powers.”

The Ata-Meken party, another major party composing the ruling coalition, believes the referendum was an attempt to solidify Atambayev’s hold on power, writes Eurasia Net. Ata-Meken fears that the President may attempt to run for Prime Minister after his presidential term expires. Should Atambayev become Prime Minister, the referendum would increase his influence significantly. According to Newsweek, the president has denied this claim and declared that he intends to leave politics at the end of his term in order to work on a music album.

Complicating this matter further was that, even after the referendum was proposed, no one could find a signed constitution. The head of Atambayev’s administration, Farid Niyazov, stated, “It so happens that [the constitution] has no signature.”

The apparent disappearance of the constitution has frustrated  Kyrgyzstani citizens who feel that its displacement once again demonstrates a fundamental disregard for voters and the rule of law on the part of the government.

The instability resulting from the disappearance of the constitution and the proposed referendum ultimately led to the collapse of Kyrgyzstan’s ruling coalition. Insulted by the Ata-Meken party’s criticism of the president, the Social Democrats quit the coalition, thereby eliminating its majority in the parliament and forcing its dissolution, The Diplomat reports.

The government will likely remain paralyzed until a new coalition forms. According to The Diplomat, this political destabilization is particularly worrying at a time when the country faces economic stagnation and domestic terrorist threats. Turkey has not helped the situation by warning Kyrgyzstan of a potential Gülenist coup attempt in the country.

The referendum is scheduled for December 2016. The results of the referendum may have profound consequences on the state of Kyrgyzstan’s fledgling democracy.