Review of the Election Legislation for Election Disputes, Appeals and Penalties in the Republic of Kazakhstan

This report reviews key issues on the resolution of election disputes, appeals against election decisions and election offences and administrative violations under the law of Kazakhstan. It draws extensively on a detailed assessment prepared by Denis Petit, Legal Expert. The report also draws on other OSCE/ODIHR election reports on Kazakhstan, in particular the Review of the Legal Framework for the Parliamentary Elections (29 June 1999), supplemented by recommendations contained in the Needs Assessment Mission Report (25 August 1999), the Final Report on the October 1999 Parliamentary Elections (20 January 2000) and the Review of the Election Legislation for Parliamentary Elections (18 January 2001). The legal framework for the conduct of elections is provided by the Constitution, the Constitutional Law of 28 June 1999 on Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan, provisions on election offences and violations contained in the Criminal Code and the new Administrative Violations Code, regulations adopted by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and other acts. The principal source of election rules is the 1999 Law and chapter 11 of the new Administrative Violations Code.