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Further Reading

Government

The constitution of 1993 prescribes three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial), with the executive being the most powerful. The constitution has been amended several times, in most cases to strengthen the presidency.

The president heads the executive and is the most powerful member of government. Presidents can propose bills to the legislature, appoint the justices to the highest courts (legislative confirmation is then required), and can call referenda. Presidents are popularly elected to five-year terms and are limited to serving two terms.

Other executive officials form the president's cabinet and include the prime minister, four deputy prime ministers, 13 ministers, the general prosecutor, and the heads of six national agencies, commissions, and committees. Following the constitutional reform of 2006, the prime minister was appointed by the party receiving a plurality in the latest parliamentary elections. That reform also deprived the president of the right to dismiss parliament.

Kyrgyzstan's parliament was originally unicameral, but a 1994 referendum changed it to a bicameral structure before a 2003 referendum reduced it again to a single body, which is called the Supreme Council. It consists of 90 popularly elected officials who serve five-year terms. In 2006, there were no women on the Supreme Council.

Kyrgyzstan's highest courts are the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court. The former has the final say on civil and criminal cases while the latter rules on issues of constitutional law. All justices are nominated by the president to 10-year terms and must be confirmed by the legislature.