Kazakstan to enshrine political pluralism in law (08.09.2009)

(Quelle: IWPR / UK)

New bill envisages multiparty legislature, though critics say the authorities will seek to handpick parliamentary “opponents”. … Analysts see the move as part of Kazakstan’s desire to produce a better set of democratic credentials when its turn comes to chair of the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe, OSCE, next year.

Rights group urging improvements, as OSCE chair looms (24.06.2009)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet / USA)

A global human rights watchdog says Kazakhstan is risking a public relations debacle unless it takes fast action to ease restrictions on mass media and promote political openness.

HRW warns Kazakhstan’s OSCE chairmanship could “backfire” (05.06.2009)

(Quelle: RFE/RL / International)

(HRW executive director) Kenneth Roth told RFE/RL in Almaty that unless Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev or Prime Minister Karim Masimov sends a clear signal that the government cares how its OSCE chairmanship is received, the lower levels of government will not take the necessary steps to improve media rights, the freedom of assembly, and religious freedoms. Roth said that instead of boosting the Kazakh government's reputation and legitimacy around the world, its OSCE chairmanship could backfire if it is seen as the "hypocrisy of a leader that fails to abide by the democratic standards it is supposed to be upholding."

Evaluating Astana’s democratization intentions (15.05.2009)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet / UK)

When Kazakhstan was named 2010 chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Astana pledged to undertake wide-ranging political reforms. But now, just over six months before Kazakhstan takes over the OSCE’s helm, US lawmakers and diplomats are voicing concern that Astana is not serious about fulfilling its commitments.

Kazakhstan ponders joining Afghan fray (10.12.2008)

(Quelle: Asia Times / China)

Kazakhstan is seriously considering sending its peacekeepers to Afghanistan, which would mark the first deployment of soldiers from Central Asia since the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s. Such a controversial step would follow Kazakhstan's decision in October to withdraw its peacekeepers from Iraq, based there since 2003 under Polish command and carrying out demining and water purification tasks.

Kazakhstan falling short on OSCE goals, rights group says (01.12.2008)

(Quelle: RFE/RL / International)

The West agreed to allow Kazakhstan to become the first ex-Soviet nation to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after Kazakhstan promised to introduce a package of liberal reforms. In a report titled "An Atmosphere of Quiet Repression," New York-based Human Rights Watch said Kazakhstan has made only "superficial" steps in that direction.

Kazakh Government prepares to impose elements of democracy (17.11.2008)

(Quelle: RFL / RL) Two ingredients usually found in a democracy are a parliament with representatives from more than one political party and an unfettered, independent media. The Organization for Security and Coop-eration in Europe (OSCE) upholds such democratic ideals and calls on its members to ensure they are respected. But the country slated to take over the OSCE's rotating chairmanship in 2010, Kazakhstan, lacks those two basic ingredients. To make up for this shortfall, the government is taking steps to impose elements of parliamentary pluralism and free media.

OSCE helps promote confidence- and security-building measures in Central Asia (29.10.2008)

(Kabar) Further enhancing confidence- and security-building measures and promoting military co-operation outlined in the 1999 OSCE Vienna Document are the focus of a training seminar that started in Almaty yesterday.

Kazakh electors pick fresh crop of senators (04.10.2008)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) The head of Kazakhstan’s election authority has endorsed the results of an indirect vote to fill a handful of seats in the country’s rubber-stamp upper house of parliament, saying candidates won majorities in all 16 contests. It was unclear whether all the winners were members of the pro-presidential Nur-Otan party or nominal independents, but there were no opposition members among the 37 candidates in the running.

Kazak state tightens grip on media (31.03.2008)

(Quelle: IWPR) The Kazak government has moved in to buy up all remaining shares in the country’s largest broadcasting conglomerate, in a move that media-watchers have seen as an attempt to reinstate total control over the media.

Kazakh son-in-law 'gets 20 years' (26.03.2008)

(Quelle: BBC) The former son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has been found guilty of plotting a coup. A military court sentenced Rakhat Aliyev - who lives abroad and was not at the trial - to 20 years in prison.

Kazakhstan picked to chair OSCE (01.12.2007)

(Quelle: BBC) Kazakhstan will assume the presidency of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010, the body's council has decided. The Central Asian country will be the first ex-Soviet republic to chair the human rights and defence watchdog.

Ethnic clash a worrying sign (23.11.2007)

(Quelle: IWPR) Sporadic clashes involving different ethnic groups in Kazakstan suggest that the authorities are failing to manage intercommunal tensions and work towards better integration, say analysts. Over the last two years, a number of incidents that initially had no ethnic dimension have blown up into broader clashes between people divided along ethnic lines.

Kazakhstan, OSCE to continue election cooperation (06.11.2007)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) A visiting OSCE official has signaled the organization's readiness to continue cooperating with Kazakhstan on democracy and rights issues, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported. The head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), Christian Strohal, made his remarks after meeting with Kazakh officials in Astana to discuss election procedures there.

Wahlen in Kasachstan mit klarem Favoriten (16.10.2007)

(Quelle: NZZ) Bei den Parlamentswahlen in Kasachstan wird die Partei von Präsident Nasarbajew erneut deutlich gewinnen. Dennoch könnte es diesmal auch einer Oppositionspartei gelingen, ins neue Parlament einzuziehen.

Ruling Party sweeps Kazakhstan election, official count shows (20.08.2007)

(Quelle: Washington Post) The ruling party of Kazakhstan won all of the contested seats in a nationwide parliamentary election this weekend, according to preliminary results announced Sunday. The outcome cements the authority of the country's longtime leader, President Nursultan Nazarbayev. … As opposition parties dismissed the results as invalid, monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the vote failed to meet a number of international standards of fairness but nonetheless represented a step forward for the democratic development in the oil-rich Central Asian country.

Umfragen: Sieg der Präsidentenpartei gilt als sicher (14.08.2007)

(Quelle: Der Standard) Für die kasachische Parlamentswahl am 18. August sagen Umfragen der Präsidentenpartei 'Nur Otan' (Strahlendes Vaterland) einen haushohen Sieg voraus. 'Es gilt als sicher, dass das Volk die Nasarbajew-Partei wählen wird. Die Oppositionsparteien spielen keine Rolle', sagte ganz ohne Umschweife auch der kasachische Kultur- und Informationsminister Yermukhamet Yertysbayev vor kurzem in einem Interview mit der APA.

Neues Mediengesetz angekündigt (New media law announced) (01.08.2007)

(Quelle: taz) Ein neues Mediengesetz soll kasachischen Journalisten mehr Rechte einräumen - 2009 will das Land den OSZE-Vorsitz übernehmen.

Kazakh Prosecutor-General meets with OSCE Official to discuss approaching election (30.07.2007)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) Prosecutor-General Rashid Tusupbekov met on July 26 in Astana with Lubomir Kopaj, the head of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) election-observer mission, to discuss preparations for the August 18 parliamentary elections, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. … The ODIHR election-monitoring mission includes 36 long-term observers based in Almaty and Astana and more than 400 short-term observers deployed throughout Kazakhstan.

Local elections overshadowed by national polls (24.07.2007)

(Quelle: IWPR) Campaigning for the August 18 local and parliamentary elections has begun in Kazakstan, but NBCentralAsia observers say voters will be confused by having to take part in two different polls on the same day, and less attention will be paid to the local elections. Candidates for the maslikhats or local councils began campaigning on July 24 and will continue until August 16, in tandem with those seeking election to the lower house of parliament or Majilis.

Family fight leaves Kazakhstan's power couple on the outside (18.07.2007)

(Quelle: Washington Post) For years, Rakhat Aliyev and his wife, Dariga Nazarbayeva, were the power couple of Kazakhstan, building empires in media, banking and politics under the protective wing of Papa -- President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Things have changed quickly in this energy-rich nation on the Central Asian steppe, where the United States, Russia and China jockey for influence and access to oil and gas.

Election campaigns flop under time pressure (06.07.2007)

(Quelle: IWPR) Although recent constitutional amendments in Kazakstan theoretically make it possible to have a multi-party parliament, NBCentralAsia analysts say the president’s Nur Otan party will still win by a landslide in the August 18 election. Speaking on July 4, President Nursultan Nazarbaev said the ideal political situation in Kazakstan would be to have two strong parties.

Nazarbayev dissolves Majilis, calls snap election (02.07.2007)

(Quelle: Eurasia Daily Monitor) On June 20, speaking to parliamentary faction of his Nur Otan party, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said he had decided to dissolve the lower chamber of parliament, the Majilis. In an unprecedented move, one day before that decision, 61 members of the Majilis had petitioned the president to dissolve the lower chamber of parliament, which, as they put it, “obstructs reform.” Whatever the true motivation behind the deputies’ surprising letter to Nazarbayev, the president used it as an opportunity to disband the lower chamber and announce early parliamentary elections.

Kazakhstan ballot called 2 years early (20.06.2007)

(Quelle: New York Times) Kazakhstan’s lower house of Parliament was dissolved Wednesday in preparation for early elections. President Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, who recently eliminated term limits on his office from the Constitution, called for new elections to take place in August instead of in 2009, as scheduled.

President ends term limit for himself (23.05.2007)

(Quelle: New York Times) President Nursultan A. Nazarbayev signed several constitutional amendments put forward by Parliament, including an exemption for himself from a provision limiting presidents to serving two terms, effectively clearing the way for him to become president for life.

Kazakstan could take lead as regional peacekeeper (03.05.2007)

(Quelle: IWPR) Peacekeeping operations run by the Commonwealth of Independent States, CIS, could be made more effective if Kazakstan took on a greater role in areas where Russian domination is a hindrance to the process, NBCentralAsia analysts say. Last week, CIS foreign ministers met in Astana to discuss the deployment and activity of peacekeeping forces in countries that belong to the post-Soviet grouping. NBCentralAsia observers say that if Kazakstan contributed more troops to peacekeeping contingents, it could radically change attitudes towards these forces in “frozen” ethnopolitical conflicts where CIS peacekeepers are often equated with Russian troops.

Socio-economic tension threatens ethnic harmony (03.04.2007)

(Quelle: Eurasianet) A fatal clash between ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Chechens in a village in south-eastern Kazakhstan has raised questions about whether the country’s much-touted ethnic harmony is under threat, and whether socio-economic tensions are endangering stability in this booming state. The unrest began March 17 with a fight over a game of billiards and ended with an attack on the house of a Chechen family that left five dead.

Ruling Kazakh party backs president's nominee for premier (09.01.2007)

(Quelle: RFE/RL) Kazakhstan's ruling Nur-Otan party today endorsed President Nursultan Nazarbaev's choice of Karim Masimov to be the country's next prime minister. The vote comes one day before a joint session of the Kazakh parliament is expected to consider the nomination. The Nur-Otan party has more than 90 percent of the seats in the two houses, making Masimov's appointment almost certain. … Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov and his government resigned on January 8 for reasons that remain unclear.

Democracy, energy, ambiguity (11.12.2006)

(Quelle: ISN Security Watch) Kazakhstan's hopes of chairing the OSCE in 2009 were mired in ambiguity on December 5, when member states' foreign ministers postponed a final decision. Astana's bid for the chairmanship presented the OSCE with not one, but several conundrums. The most striking, of course, is Kazakhstan's spotty record on human rights and democratic reforms.

Kazakh bid to lead OSCE examined (04.12.2006)

(Quelle: BBC) The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will debate whether Kazakhstan should be allowed to take over its revolving chairmanship. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is in Brussels lobbying to take on the role in 2009. Russia and some European countries back the bid, but the US and UK are opposed.