Kyrgyz Republic: Referendum, 11 December 2016

At stake in this election:

• This referendum will determine if changes to the constitution will be made

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Almazbek ATAMBAEV (since 1 December 2011)
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Sooronbay JEENBEKOV (since 13 April 2016)
• Assembly: Kyrgyzstan has a unicameral Jogorku Kenesh (Supreme Council) composed of 120 seats with members serving 5-year terms.

Electoral requirements:

• The referendum requires a turnout of at least 50% of the electorate to be valid and a simple majority of votes in favor to pass.

About the referendum:

• This referendum will determine if changes to the constitution will be made. The proposed changes will strengthen the powers of Prime Minister. The referendum also proposes changes to the judicial branch, namely a reduction of the parliamentary majority required to unseat judges and setting a supermajority requirement for court decisions.

Main provisions in the referendum:

• The main provisions at stake are a constitutional amendment to increase the powers of the Prime Minister and Supreme Council (Jogorku Kenesh).

Population and number of registered voters:

·         Population: 5,727,553 (July 2016 est.)

·         Registered Voters: 2,647,533 (2015)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 2,920,067 (July 2016 est.)

·         Is Kyrgyzstan a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Kyrgyzstan ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (10 February 1997)

·         Gender Quota: Yes, party lists are required to include at least 30% of each gender. Also, there must be one person of each gender for every four positions on a party list

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 23 (19.17%)

·         Human Development Index Position: 120

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Kyrgyzstan a signatory to CRPD: Yes (21 September 2011)

·         Has Kyrgyzstan ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 1,297,143 (est.)