BISHKEK, Nov 7: A constitutional crisis in Kyrgyzstan briefly turned violent on Tuesday when riot police used teargas to break up a street brawl between government supporters and opposition protesters.

The ex-Soviet Central Asian state is locked in a high-stakes standoff. Opposition lawmakers have adopted a new constitution slashing presidential powers, and President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has responded by threatening to dissolve parliament.

Bakiyev's government said the declaration of a new constitution at an emergency parliament session late on Monday night was illegal and “an open attempt to seize power”.

Opposition protesters camped out in the capital said they had heard rumours that the authorities planned to use force to break up their rally during Tuesday night. Bakiyev's office said police would not step in as long as the protests were peaceful. “The authorities will be damned by the people and the country (if they use force),” said opposition member of parliament Kabai Karabekov.—Reuters