Kazakhstan
News Bulletin
Released weekly by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
March 15, 2004 Vol. 1, No. 11
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Special Edition
Kazakhstan's Parliament Approves Major Election Reforms,
Sends Bill to President
Both houses of Parliament voted March 15 in favor of adopting a constitutional bill instituting major reforms into the way the elections are held in Kazakhstan.
According to Kazakhstan Today news agency, thirty-two senators out of thirty-five, and fifty-eight members of the Majilis (lower house) out of seventy-seven voted in favor of the bill in its third and final reading at the joint session of the Parliament in Astana on Monday. The bill is now sent to the President of Kazakhstan for his consideration and eventual signing.
As quoted by Kazakh Inform news agency, Zhazbek Abdiyev, Majilis member and chair of the conference commission, said: “The Parliament managed to introduce radical changes in the election legislation. This is a revolutionary law that will give a 95-99 percent guarantee of transparent elections.”
Among the bill’s key provisions are changes into the way local and regional election commissions are formed. As opposed to the past practices, when local executive authorities appointed such commissions, these bodies are now to be formed by regional maslikhats (local assemblies) based on proposals from and consultations with political parties participating in the elections. After a long discussion, the deputies decided such commissions need to have no more than 7 members.
Mr. Abdiyev noted: “All doubts about the commissions and their affiliation with the authorities will be groundless.”
Another set of changes deals with the vote count. To prevent ballot staffing, deputies voted for the introduction of transparent ballot boxes, and required the Government to spend 390 million tenge ($1=139 tenge as of March 15) to replace the existing ones before the parliamentary election in October 2004. The bill also provides for the introduction of electronic vote, although for financial and technical reasons the electronic vote will only be tried as a pilot during the election later this year. Its introduction will “not happen tomorrow, or day after tomorrow, Mr. Abdiyev said, but rather will be done “as resources are allocated, as technical facilities are provided and as voters are ready.”
Members of Parliament also approved amendments requiring local Akims (Mayors) to present voter lists to election commissions no later than 20 days in advance of balloting. Another set of amendments approved by lawmakers will prohibit persons under criminal sentence from running for Parliament.
The bill’s significance cannot be overstated as it sets the framework for the upcoming parliamentary elections in October 2004, and the presidential ones in January 2006.
Currently, there are nine political parties registered in Kazakhstan, five of them are represented in the bicameral Parliament. Out of 77 members of the Majilis elected through direct vote, 67 are elected in single vote constituencies and 10 are elected based on the proportional representation.
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and agency reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
