Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a bill amending the national flag on December 22, two days after lawmakers approved it in a final reading. The lawmakers have said the wavy yellow rays of a sun on a red field of the old flag resembled a sunflower. The Kyrgyz word for sunflower is "kunkarama," but it also means "dependent." According to the lawmakers, the law allows the "straightening" of the sunrays to make the image look more like a sun. Several rallies protesting the change have been held in Kyrgyzstan since it was proposed in October. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
