Kazakhstan

This report compiles some of the proposals (over 100) put forth by the political parties for amending the election legislation of Kazakhstan. The document is based on the tabulation of all proposals carried out by the Central Election Commission (CEC). The compilation is neither exhaustive nor comprehensive since it does not include all proposals consolidated in the CEC table. Rather, the focus is on areas that enjoy a broad support among political parties. The aim is to review some issues identified by the parties as areas of concern in the current legislation. The format of the document deviates from the CEC table. However, articles of the election law to which amendments are proposed are indicated as well as the name of the party behind the proposals. In addition, the complete proposal in Russian is preceded by a short English summary of each party proposal presented in this report. This compilation does not replace and should be read in conjunction with the full length report prepared by the CEC on proposals presented by political parties and previous OSCE/ODIHR reports on elections.

The legal framework of elections in Kazakhstan has been the subject of consultations between the authorities of Kazakhstan and OSCE/ODIHR. In the course of these consultations, OSCE/ODIHR presented recommendations on the electoral law prior to the October 1999 parliamentary elections. Additional comments were contained in the needs assessment mission report (25 August 1999) and in the final report (20 January 2000). The authorities of Kazakhstan accepted to continue consultations on the election law, based on the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. On 2 September 2000, during the first round table discussion on elections, the parties agreed on a timetable for further round tables in 2001. The following recommendations will focus on the issues to be discussed in January 2001, such as the independence and formation of election commissions, and election procedures, including the transparency of the vote count and tabulation procedures. The following comments on the legal framework of elections in Kazakhstan are based on the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan” signed by the President on 28 June 1999. Some additional comments are provided on the instructions issued by the Central Election Commission (CEC) through the latter part of 1999.