Kyrgyzstan is to vote in a constitutional referendum on Sunday that interim authorities insist is vital for easing tensions after deadly ethnic clashes. However some people fear that it could spark new unrest. Kyrgyzstan's provisional government, which came to power after former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in riots in April, has pushed ahead with the vote despite the violence this month. According to the Health Ministry, at least 264 people were killed in the clashes. But officials have admitted that many killed were not registered and have said the real death toll was probably much higher. The new constitution proposed in the referendum would significantly reduce the powers of the president and make the country Central Asia's first parliamentary republic — moves the interim government says are essential for stability and fighting top-level corruption.