Kyrgyz parliament votes in favor of changing elements of state flag

BISHKEK. Dec 20 (Interfax) - The Kyrgyz parliament approved a bill on Wednesday on changing the design of the state flag.

The draft legislation, which amends the law on Kyrgyzstan's state symbols, was adopted without debate in the second and third readings in a 59-5 vote.

Parliament Speaker Nurlanbek Shakiyev and MP Ulan Primov came up with the idea of changing elements of the country's flag. Shakiyev and Primov believe the problem centers on viewers' perception of the sunrays and the top of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt tent depicted in the middle of the Kyrgyz state flag, which some people see as sunflower petals.

The proposal involves replacing the wave-like rays in the center of the flag with ones that will distinctly resemble sunrays.