The leadership of the opposition Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan (DVK) movement told a press conference in Almaty on 5 May that the draft Land Code now before the upper house of the Kazakh parliament should be put to a national referendum. The new Land Code, drawn up and submitted to the parliament by the government, would introduce private ownership of agricultural land, and it has been the subject of impassioned debate among Kazakh politicians for several months. Many opposition figures argue that the privatization scheme envisioned by the government would favor the wealthy. Chairman of the DVK Political Council and Majilis (lower house) deputy Tolen Tokhtasynov told the press conference that there must be a general public discussion of the implications of the proposed code, adding that the disagreements generated by the privatization issue demonstrate \"how acute the crisis in the country\'s political system is.\" The Majilis adopted the code last week with so many amendments that the government claimed its draft has been gutted. The government is now seeking the advice of the Constitutional Council on whether to call for a parliamentary vote of confidence. (Interfax-Kazakhstan)