Voices of Power

President Kurmanbek Bakiyev continues to slowly stifle potential opposition voices in Kyrgystan:

"The proportional method was applied in the December election, in which the pro-presidential Ak Jol party won an outright majority, despite being set up only two months beforehand.

"The new regulations contain a controversial stipulation that the number of members of parliament allowed to speak in any legislative debate is predetermined by the amount of seats each party holds.

"The parliamentary leader of each of the three parties represented will get to address the chamber on new pieces of legislation, and then Ak Jol will be able to field a further nine speakers, as it holds 71 seats. However, the Social Democrats, who have 11 seats, will only be able to put forward three speakers, and the Communists just two, on behalf of their eight seats.

"In previous incarnations of the Kyrgyz parliament, all members had the right to make their views felt when bills were under discussion."