In this issue:
Kazakhstan and U.S. Sign Agreement on ICC
2,677 Local Deputies Elected in Open Elections September 20, 600 Seats Will Be Filled in Runoffs
President Nazarbayev Moves Against Corruption
Congressman Says U.S. Should Support Kazakhstan's Strides Toward Democracy
U.S. Supports Kazakhstan's Desire to Chair OSCE, Diplomat Says
SAY IT IN KAZAKH:
Election -- Sailau [Sah-i-lah-u]
Free vote Ashyq dauys beru [Ah-shyq dah-u-ys beh-ruh]
Kazakhstan and U.S. Sign Agreement on ICC
Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kassymzhomart Tokaev and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell signed an agreement on September 23, during the UN General Assembly in New York, dealing with the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This agreement, under Article 98, protects Kazakhstan's and U.S. military forces, civilian personnel and private citizens who are involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the world. Article 98 Agreements, provided for in the Rome Statute that created the ICC, allow the United States and other countries to remain engaged internationally by providing their citizens with essential protection from the jurisdiction of the ICC, particularly against politically motivated investigations and prosecutions.
"This document became another testament to the strategic partnership between the countries as we jointly fight terrorism," Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said in a September 24 statement.
During the bilateral meeting in New York, "Secretary Powell praised Kazakhstan's meaningful contribution to stabilizing the situation in Iraq and thanked Kazakhstan's leaders for sending the army engineers to join the coalition forces," the Foreign Ministry noted.
2,677 Local Deputies Elected in Open Elections September 20, Almost 600 Seats Will Be Filled in Runoffs
The Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan announced preliminary results of the September 20 nationwide elections to local maslikhats (representative bodies), saying 2,677 deputies were elected in the first round. Runoffs will be held in 556 constituencies. Eighty-nine more constituencies will hold new elections, since none of the one or two candidates was elected.
"The data is still being finalized," the commission added in a news release.
The commission said it recommended local election commissions hold runoffs on October 12 and hold new elections on November 16.
The elections were held for regional, district and city maslikhats which oversee the operations of executive officials. Almost 8,000 people ran for office, with majority of those in the largest cities of Astana and Almaty. For example, 169 people ran for 25 seats on the city council in the capital, Astana.
Political parties, including pro-government Otan, centrist Civic, and the opposition Ak Zhol and the Communists nominated the majority of candidates.
President Nazarbayev Moves Against Corruption
President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed new anti-corruption legislation into law on September 25 that significantly expands the list of entities and officials which can be charged with corruption-related crimes. The law also makes it harder for persons already charged with corruption to get into the public service. The measure comes on the heels of other reforms in legal area as Kazakhstan moves to build a society based on the rule of law and democracy, shedding the legacies of the Soviet past.
"The major impetus of the law is on preventive measures," said Igor I. Rogov, deputy chief of the presidential administration. "The law expands the meaning of corruption. While in the past corruption was termed only as unlawful receipt of material benefits or privileges by persons exercising government functions, whether personal or indirect, from now on any receipt of material benefits through the abuse of those powers will be considered corruption."
Mr. Rogov, who oversees legal reforms in the presidential office, visited Washington this month for discussions of Kazakhstan's steps toward the rule of law and democracy.
Speaking to reporters in Astana on September 26, Mr. Rogov outlined some specifics of the new law, including the extension of time limits after which officials charged with corruption can apply for a public job from 1 year to 2 years after the initial disciplinary charge.
According to Khabar News Agency, the list of entities and officials that can be charged with corruption has also been extended to include not only public officials, but also others who have the authority to implement state functions. This relates to members of the national Parliament and of local maslikhats (representative bodies), judges, and executives of national companies and other companies where the state has a minimum 35-percent stake.
The new legislation introduced changes to several existing laws, including the specific law on the fight against corruption, originally adopted in 1998. Kazakhstan was the first country in the CIS to adopt such a law.
The new changes corresponded with other trends in the criminal law system, and legal reforms currently underway in Kazakhstan; toughening punishment for serious crimes, such as organized crime and terrorism. Significant steps are on the way in court reform, where the institution of jury trials is being seriously considered. The government is also poised to introduce legislation that would transfer the authority to sanction pre-trial detention from prosecutors to courts.
Congressman Says U.S. Should Support Kazakhstan's Strides Toward Democracy
Representative Joe Barton (R-TX), in the U.S. Congress on September 24, said Kazakhstan has "strategic importance" for the United States, and Washington should "lend support to ensure that Kazakhstan continues the path toward democratization."
Kazakhstan holds "great promise" to enhance the energy independence of the United States and should be recognized for its "significant contributions" to the war on terror, said Rep. Barton, who serves as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy & Air Quality. He is also the member of the House Republican Steering Committee, which sets strategy for House Republicans.
"Adding to its robust economy, over the past six years, Kazakhstan has more than doubled its production of oil from 415,000 to almost 1 million barrels per day. By 2015, Kazakhstan is expected to produce 2.5 million barrels per day. This production would place it among the top non-OPEC producers of oil in the world," said Rep. Barton.
Kazakhstan is taking steps to promote transparency in all financial transactions, including the establishment of the National Fund, "a model for openness and disclosure in the management of the country's oil revenues", the Congressman said. The government also has pledged transparency and openness in future oil and gas contracts, and has officially endorsed the British government's Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
According to Rep. Barton, Kazakhstan consistently supports the United States in the war on terror. It granted the United States overflight rights and access to its airbase at Almaty. Kazakhstan also participates in NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
"Kazakhstan was the first Central Asian republic to join in the post-war reconstruction efforts" in Iraq, he stressed. "In August 2003, Kazakhstan sent 27 military personnel, including de-mining experts, engineers, and translators to Iraq." Kazakhstan was among the first Muslim-majority countries to play a role in rebuilding Iraq (See Kazakhstan news bulletins, August 20 and September 19)
Kazakhstan has made "tangible efforts to join the democratic world". It "chose non-proliferation over possessing nuclear weapons; it chose peace and prosperity over terrorism and strife; it chose a market economy over the communist status quo; and it chose the difficult path of reform over complacency", added the Congressman.
"Kazakhstan's ability to greatly enhance our energy independence, and its position alongside the United States in the War on Terror, are but two illustrations of Kazakhstan's resolve to affect positive, long-standing change," Rep. Barton stressed. The United States "must lend its support to ensure that Kazakhstan continues down the path toward democratization."
U.S. Supports Kazakhstan's Desire to Chair OSCE, Diplomat Says
Ambassador Stephan Minikes, the U.S. top representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the United States "is greatly supportive" of Kazakhstan's intentions to chair the organization in 2009. He spoke to reporters in Almaty on September 223 following his first visit to Kazakhstan, according to Kazakhstan Today news agency.
"We are encouraged by Kazakhstan's intentions to work further and to do more to live up to the OSCE principles," Ambassador Minikes said. "We are ready to help the country along the process before making the decision on the chairing of the organization."
Earlier in the week, he met with officials in Astana to discuss Kazakhstan's progress toward democratic change. He said he suggested Kazakhstan's officials should begin a series of meetings in January 2004 which will assess what Kazakhstan has achieved in various areas.
"We take Kazakhstan's candidature (for chairmanship) quite seriously," Ambassador Minikes said. Kazakhstan would become one of the first post-Soviet republics to chair the OSCE, he added.
He said that countries bidding for the chairmanship of the OSCE must live up to even higher standards that those required from individual OSCE members.
"If a country intends to lead the organization, it should be an example. It should be ahead and not behind, and these are the expectations we have in relation to Kazakhstan," the Ambassador said.
Things to Watch:
- Young Stars of Kazakhstan perform in Washington on October 3. For further information, call Ms. Kadisha Dairova, at 202 232 5488, ext. 107.
- Runoff elections for maslikhats are on October 12.
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and various agencies' reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
