Weeks after violence, Kyrgyzstan constitution approved

Kyrgyzstan's interim government leader Roza Otunbayeva casts her ballot at a polling station in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, on Sunday. Photo: AP.

Election officials in Kyrgyzstan say the Central Asian nation’s public has overwhelmingly backed a new constitution.

More than 90 percent voted “yes” in Sunday’s referendum, and a small fraction of votes remain to be counted.

Barely two weeks after ethnic purges left many minority Uzbek communities in smouldering ruin, about two—thirds of voters went to the polls on Sunday, according to officials.

The vote went ahead even though many of the 400,000 ethnic Uzbeks forced to flee have not returned.

Roza Otunbayeva’s interim government came to power after former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in April following deadly street protests.

Election officials said the final tally would be announced later on Monday.