Kyrgyzstan interim leader Roza Otunbayeva made a TV address to the nation on Thursday, urging voters to go to the polls.

A referendum on the constitution is being held this weekend.

Earlier in the day a light aircraft dropped leaflets over the rooftops of the capital Bishkek, encouraging citizens to vote.

Ethnic violence killed over 250 people this month and saw hundreds of thousands flee their homes in southern Kyrgyzstan. Refugees returned this week to their destroyed homes in the city of Osh, but many say they are too afraid to vote.
          
Keneshbek Dushebayev, head of the Kyrgyz national security service, showed journalists weapons which he said security forces seized in the Osh region. He pledges adequate security for voters participating in the upcoming referendum.

[Keneshbek Dushebayev, Kyrgyz National Security Service Head]:
"Here in all regions, we have enough forces deployed to ensure security, in the event of any unexpected factors, such as any attempt to use force, by armed groups, or any other large -scale unrest, our strength is definitely adequate to respond quickly and decisively to any such attempts."        

During the televised speech, interim leader Roza Otunbayeva speaks of the importance of holding the referendum despite the recent violence.
              
[Roza Otunbayeva, Interim Government Leader]:
"We are aware the referendum is taking place in difficult and dramatic times, destructive forces don't want real change, they have tried to fan the flames of civil war, and some forces are trying to disrupt the referendum so that they can take power under a different name and continue to rob the people. The moment has come when to delay would lead to serious, negative consequences. We will take all steps to ensure the speedy stabilization of the situation in the south of the country, for the proper conduct of just and fair voting in the referendum."
        
Otunbayeva is a former Kyrgyz ambassador to Britain and the United States. She now leads the interim government that swept to power after president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was deposed in a popular revolt on April 7.      
                 
The referendum is needed to give legitimacy to a government that gained power without being elected. It will also pave the way for the Kyrgyz leaders to gain formal diplomatic recognition.       
     
The biggest challenge is to convince citizens in the south that they are safe to vote. The south is separated from Biskek by a range of snowcapped mountains, and has recently been the scene of devastating violence.

Although this week thousands of refugees returned to Osh and Jalalabad, their living conditions remain desperate.

[Neal Walker, UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan]:          
"What we believe we have now are very clear humanitarian needs, if those humanitarian needs are not met, it could get worse, it could become a crisis. Currently we have though urgent humanitarian needs and not a humanitarian crisis or catastrophe"