Kasachstan
NGO says Kazakhstan not ready to head OSCE (28.11.2006)
(Quelle: RFE/RL) Freedom House says the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe should reject Kazakhstan's bid to chair the institution in 2009. Freedom House is a U.S.-based NGO that measures freedom in countries around the world.Christopher Walker, the director of studies at Freedom House, tells RFE/RL that Kazakhstan faces significant problems, particularly in the areas of democracy, judicial independence, and press freedom.
Kazakh president forms coalition (04.07.2006)
(Quelle: BBC) Two main political parties of Kazakhstan, Central Asia's oil rich and most powerful nation, merged on Tuesday to create a mighty ruling coalition. The parties belong to President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva, seriously strengthening the power of the man who controls Central's Asia's richest country. It resembled a televised family reunion. … Mr Nazarbayev has ruled this nation of 15 million for nearly 17 years.
Accusations continue in Kazakh murder case (10.03.2006)
(Quelle: ISN) The daughter of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev alleged in an interview with local media on Friday that opposition forces were working with state security services were to discredit the family. … She accused the opposition and security services of launching “a carefully orchestrated information war against the president’s family” by alleging that President Nazarbaev and his family were involved in the 13 February assassination of opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaev.
President tries to calm growing political crisis (06.03.2006)
(Quelle: RFE/RL) Although the bulk of the president's remarks on March 1 dealt with his ambitious plans for national development, a number of comments appeared to come in response to the fallout from the Sarsenbaev killing, which has included the arrest of five members of an elite special-forces unit and the head of the Senate's administration for involvement in the murder, the resignation of the chairman of the KNB, a large opposition demonstration in Almaty, and a flood of 'leaked' materials, primarily in the opposition press, alleging the involvement in Sarsenbaev's killing of individuals close to the president.
Murder widens political gulf in Kazakstan (24.02.2006)
(Quelle: IWPR) The murder of a leading political figure in Kazakstan has developed into a major row that threatens to widen the already huge gulf between the government of President Nazarbaev and the embattled opposition parties. The sheer violence of what looks to have been a professional hit against Altynbek Sarsenbaev has shocked the country, and threatens to shake the image the Kazak government has nurtured of a safe, trouble-free society. As Sarsenbaev was one of the co-leaders of the Naghyz Ak Zhol party, his opposition colleagues placed the blame squarely on the government.
Kazakh opposition claims mass violations (11.12.2005)
(Quelle: IWPR) Nursultan Nazarbaev is set for another seven years in power after an election widely condemned as fraudulent. Kazak opposition leader Zharmakhan Tuyakbay has described last weekend’s presidential elections as “the height of dishonesty and injustice” and hinted at protests ahead. “We recorded hundreds of thousands of violations. The mass fraud is still continuing,” said Tuyakbay, Nursultan Nazarbaev’s main rival from the opposition coalition For a Fair Kazakstan.
Kazakh election 'not democratic' (05.12.2005)
(Quelle: BBC) Sunday's presidential election in Kazakhstan failed to meet international democratic standards, Europe's main poll-monitoring body the OSCE has said. Failings included ballot box stuffing, intimidation of the opposition, and media bias, the OSCE said. It said its 460 monitors had noted some improvements from previous elections, but flaws 'limited the possibility for a meaningful competition'. President Nursultan Nazarbayev, in power since 1989, won 91% of the vote.
Kazakh election official pledges greater vote transparency (29.11.2005)
(Quelle: RFE / RL) Kazakh Central Electoral Commission Chairman Onalsyn Zhumabekov vowed on 28 November to ensure greater voting transparency in the country's upcoming presidential election, Interfax reported. In a meeting in Astana with U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan John Ordway, Zhumabekov reported that initial results from the presidential balloting will be released within 24 hours of the closing of polls. ... Meanwhile, as the deadline for the registration of election observers closed on 28 November, the Kazakh Central Election Commission also announced in a meeting in Astana on 28 November that it had formally registered some 1,590 foreign and 163 foreign media representatives, according to Interfax.
Presidential challengers struggle to make their point (21.11.2005)
(Quelle: RFE/RL) Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, registered as a united candidate from the country's For a Just Kazakhstan opposition movement, is seen as the major rival of current President Nursultan Nazarbaev. The next strongest opposition candidate is Alikhan Baimenov, the leader of the opposition Ak Zhol (Bright Path) party. Also running are MP Yerasyl Abylkasymov, who was nominated from the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan, and prominent environmentalist Mels Eleusizov, the leader of the Tabighat (Nature) movement.
EU worried by upcoming Kazakh vote (11.11.2005)
(Quelle: RFE/RL) The EU urged Kazakhstan today to let opposition candidates and the media operate freely in the runup to the country's 4 December presidential election. The EU said in a statement it is worried by attacks on opposition parties and journalists. The statement said the EU is concerned over printing and distribution difficulties faced by opposition newspapers, disruption of opposition meetings, and reports of an increasing number of attacks on journalists.
Wahlbeobachter registrieren erste Unregelmäßigkeiten (04.11.2005)
(Quelle: DW Fokus Ost-Südost) Die kasachischen Präsidentschaftswahlen werden von beinahe 200 Beobachtern überwacht. Bereits jetzt haben sie erste Verstöße gegen das geltende Wahlgesetz festgestellt: Oppositionelle Kandidaten werden benachteiligt.
OSCE to monitor presidential election (19.10.2005)
(Quelle: Irinnews) The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has deployed an observation mission to monitor presidential elections in Kazakhstan on 4 December. The mission, comprising more than 40 observers, has been sent by the OSCE’s Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). ... According to ODIHR, a core team of 13 international election experts will be based at the mission’s offices in the capital Astana and Almaty, with an additional 30 long-term observers deployed throughout the country.
Kazakh President warns foreign NGOs ahead of presidential election (13.09.2005)
(Quelle: RFE / RL) Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev cautioned foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) yesterday that their activities will be closely watched. Nazarbaev is seeking re-reelection in presidential elections in December. The Kazakh president warned foreign NGOs not to interfere in the country’s politics and threatened to prosecute them if they meddled in the election campaign. But analysts say Nazarbaev is concerned about a repeat of the colored revolutions that have hit other former Soviet states.
Opposition nominates presidential candidate (10.09.2005)
(Quelle: RFE / RL) Kazakhstan's main opposition movement today nominated Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, former speaker of the lower house of parliament, to be their candidate in presidential elections set for December. ... Incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbaev and Senator Ualikhan Kaisarov of Karaganda province have also stated their intention to run in the 4 December election. Tuyakbai was a senior figure in Nazarbaev's Otan party until last year when he criticized the results of the country's parliamentary elections and went over to the opposition.
New election monitoring initiative launched (06.09.2005)
(Quelle: Irinnews) In the run-up to the presidential election expected in December, a group of local human rights defenders, journalists and sociologists have banded together to form what could be the first genuinely independent election monitoring group in Kazakhstan. 'We belong to neither the opposition nor the government,' Eugeniy Zhovtis, director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law and member of the newly founded Initiative for Fair Election, said from the commercial Kazakh capital of Almaty.
Kazakh presidential election set for December (19.08.2005)
(Quelle: Eurasianet) Kazakhstan will hold a presidential vote in December, officials said on Friday, in a poll likely to be won by President Nursultan Nazarbayev but which could spark protests if declared flawed. … The Central Asian state has not held an election judged free and fair by Western poll monitors.
Zeitpunkt für Präsidentenwahl umstritten (12.08.2005)
(Quelle: Deutsche Welle) In Kasachstan ist der Zeitpunkt für die nächste Präsidentenwahl umstritten. Die Frage, ob sie dieses oder nächstes Jahr stattfinden müssen, beantwortet die Verfassung nicht genau. Der Verfassungsrat ist ratlos. ... Gestritten wird auch darüber, ob Präsident Nursultan Nasarbajew wieder kandidieren darf.
Kazakh President takes steps to ensure an easy re-election (26.06.2005)
(Quelle: New York Times) Last year, the International Republican Institute commissioned a poll here that found that despite gripes about corruption, the citizens of this booming former Soviet republic were optimistic about the future and supported President Nursultan Nazarbayev. ... He is expected to handily win re-election to yet another term in December. Still, he appears to be taking no chances. The Parliament, which he controls, has been churning out repressive laws that among other steps will force out many international nongovernmental organizations and sharply curtail the rights of protesters and religious groups.
Kazakhstan to hold presidential election in 2006, official says (04.05.2005)
(Quelle: RFE / RL) Onalsyn Zhumabekov, the head of Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission, announced at a conference in Almaty on 3 May that, according to Kazakhstan's constitution, the country's next presidential election ought to be held on the first Sunday in December 2006, Kazinform reported.
Wahlgesetz-Änderung umstritten (21.04.2005)
(Quelle: DW Fokus Ost-Südost) Die Opposition des Landes sieht die Demokratie gefährdet. Sie wirft der Staatsmacht vor, mit den Änderungen am Wahlgesetz die eigene Macht erhalten zu wollen. Kritik kommt auch von der OSZE.
Parliament bans election demonstrations (11.04.2005)
(Quelle: ISN Security Watch) Kazakhstan’s parliament amended the country’s election law on Friday to ban demonstrations during election periods, in a decision widely viewed as an effort to stave off the type of protests that have toppled entrenched leaders in three other former Soviet republics in recent years. … Nazarbaev’s term does not expire until January 2006, but the authorities are taking no chances after recent events in Kyrgyzstan, … .
Kazakh poll boosts leader's power (23.09.2004)
(Quelle: BBC) The election authorities in Kazakhstan have announced detailed results of the parliamentary elections which were held on Sunday. A second vote is still to be held in some constituencies. The tally of confirmed seats will put parties close to the president in control of parliament's lower house.
Election failed democracy test, Europeans say (21.09.2004)
(Quelle: New York Times) Parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan on Sunday fell short of international standards, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Monday. Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev had promised that the elections would be a test for Kazakhstan's democracy. But the European group, which sent 330 people to serve as election monitors, concluded that while more parties were allowed to register than in the past, 'considerable pressure was placed on voters, especially by local officials and workplace supervisors.'
Parliamentary Vote Poses Test for Electoral Transparency in Kazakhstan (10.09.2004)
(Quelle: Eurasianet) Though lacking the drama of a tight race, many observers consider the election a key test of Kazakhstan’s commitment to electoral transparency. Several public opinion surveys indicate that forces aligned with President Nursaltan Nazarbayev should dominate the election. Analysts, however, have noted of one poll that shows the Asar party, led by Dariga Nazarbayeva, the president’s daughter, has steadily lost support in recent months. At the same time, the moderate opposition party, Ak Zhol, has experienced a significant gain in public backing.
OSCE PA, ODIHR to lead observation of parliamentary elections (06.09.2004)
(Quelle: OSCE) The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, has appointed OSCE PA Vice-President Ihor Ostash as his Special Co-ordinator to lead the Short-Term OSCE Observation Mission for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan on 19 September 2004. The OSCE Election Observation Mission is a joint effort between the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE.
OSCE to send observers to Kazakh elections (26.06.2004)
(Quelle: RFE/RL) Robert Barry, head of the OSCE's ODIHR Election Observer Mission, announced on 24 June in Astana that the OSCE will send observers to monitor Kazakhstan's 19 September elections to the Majilis, or lower house of parliament, Interfax-Kazakhstan reported. … According to Barry, the OSCE will send 20-30 long-term observers to monitor the entire election process and then 200-300 observers to watch polling places on election day.
UNHCR-Vertretung in der Hauptstadt eröffnet (01.04.2004)
(Quelle: DW Monitor) Der UN-Flüchtlingskommissar hat in der kasachischen Hauptstadt Astana eine UNHCR-Vertretung eröffnet, meldete das kasachische Fernsehen am 31. März.
UN deploys human rights adviser for Central Asia (18.03.2004)
(Quelle: UN Wire) The United Nations has deployed an international human rights expert in Kazakhstan as its regional adviser for Central Asia to provide advice and training to government officials and policy-makers, nongovernmental organizations, U.N. agencies and other international players, the world body announced yesterday.
OSCE Representative Calls on Kazakhstan not to Adopt Government Version of Media Law (20.02.2004)
(Quelle: Radio Free Europe) Ambassador Anton Rupnik, head of the OSCE Center in Almaty, told the Third Congress of Journalists of Kazakhstan, presently under way in Atyrau, that it is not in Kazakhstan's interest to adopt the government version of a new law on the media, gazeta.kz reported on 20 February. … The new media law, still making its way through the legislative process, has been criticized for giving the authorities too much control over the media.
Young Journalists Take Part in OSCE-Sponsored Master Classes (16.02.2004)
(Quelle: OSCE) The OSCE Centre in Almaty's first master class training for young journalists kicked off today in Kazakhstan's Caspian port city of Atyrau. The programme is aimed at giving students and young professionals the opportunity to hone their skills with a former New York Times correspondent and Princeton lecturer, Christopher Wren.