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This week, the Kyrgyz parliament is expected to greenlight a referendum on a new constitution. The draft has drawn sharp critique from expected corners, while the mainstream assumption is the referendum will go ahead as envisioned.
The draft constitution was finally made public on February 9 when it was introduced to parliament, with public discussion to run until March 9. The plan is for the constitutional referendum asking the question: “Do you support the draft of the new constitution, yes or no?” to run in tandem with scheduled local council elections on April 11.
The current draft is a revised version of the “Khanstitution” floated in November 2020, though it retains many aspects human rights advocates found problematic. Even President Sadyr Japarov admitted the draft was far from perfect, commenting in February that parliament has an opportunity to correct its shortcomings before sending it for referendum. On March 2, 24.kg reported that a parliamen
HRW: Kyrgyz Draft Constitution Endangers Rights, Weakens Checks And Balances rferl.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rferl.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Ukrainian parliament has appointed lawyer Viktor Kichun to serve as a judge in Ukraine’s tainted Constitutional Court.
The appointment goes against the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and the G7 countries. The move has killed hopes for swift reform of one of the most dubious Ukrainian institutions.
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The members of the ruling My Step faction in parliament were reportedly told that the package will be be submitted to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission next week for further considerations and .
This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.
Georgia remains committed to the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, despite the COVID-19 related challenges. Further efforts are however needed, notably in the field of judicial reform and tackling political polarisation. These are key findings of the European Union’s annual Association Implementation Report on Georgia, published today ahead of the next EU-Georgia Association Council on 16 March. The report outlines Georgia’s implementation of reforms under the EU-Georgia Association Agreement over the past year.
“We appreciate Georgia’s continued reform progress and commitment to our bilateral relationship, as well as to the Eastern Partnership. Following the 2020 Parliamentary elections, it is of vital importance that all Georgian political parties act within the institutional framework to find common ground and a way forward from the current political situation. This would e