[JURIST] Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev [BBC profile] signed the country's new constitution [constitutional materials, in Kyrgyz] Thursday, which limits his power to dissolve the parliament, gives the legislature the right to form the government and enlarges the parliament from 75 to 90 deputies. The People's Assembly [official website] adopted the new constitution [JURIST report] Wednesday after opposition party members and pro-government supporters reached a compromise [JURIST report] Monday. Bakiyev initially rejected a draft of the new constitution last week, a move that drove thousands of protestors to the main square in the country's capital.

Bakiyev came to power [JURIST report] during the so-called Tulip Revolution [Wikipedia backgrounder] of 2005 in Kyrgyzstan [BBC backgrounder; JURIST news archive] during which former president Askar Akayev resigned [JURIST report] amid charges of corruption and abuse of office. AFP has more.