Askar Akaev told journalists on 5 April that the constitutional reforms approved by a 2 February referendum have caused a reduction in political and social tensions. Akaev laid most of the blame for those tensions on the political elite, which he said is greedy for power. Akaev specifically mentioned that parliamentary deputies want more influence over the government and the judicial system. Asserting that political stability has been achieved in Kyrgyzstan, Akaev was quoted as saying now it is time to concentrate on rapid economic development. Traditional industries such as machine building are no longer profitable, and the country needs to develop new ones, such as telecommunications, he said. (Interfax)