First Round Table on elections held in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 7 September 2000 - The first Round Table on Elections was held in Astana recently, under the auspices of the Organization for Secutity and Co-operation in Europe (ODIHR, Parliamentary Assembly, Centre in Almaty). The event was conducted in close collaboration with the Government of Kazakhstan and the Central Election Commission, and brought together representatives of the Parliament, various government ministries and agencies, and civil society, including those political parties not represented in the Parliament.

The Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Ihor Ostash, moderated the Round Table, and representatives of the ODIHR and the OSCE Centre in Almaty also participated in the process. The Deputy Speaker of the Senate and the Head of the Delegation of Kazakhstan to the OSCE PA, Mr. Baigeldi, and Mrs. Balieva, Chair of the Central Election Commission, headed the Government of Kazakhstan delegation to the talks.

In a constructive atmosphere, participants discussed ways and means to implement the recommendations contained in the OSCE/ODIHR Final Report on the October 1999 Parliamentary Elections. There was universal agreement there is a pressing need to improve the current election legislation in order to begin the process of restoring public trust in the electoral process following the violations that marred the October 1999 elections.

It was agreed that there will be three more Round Tables on Elections in January, May and September 2001. Participants also identified three blocs of issues, each of which will become the centerpiece of one of the upcoming Round Tables. For example, the Round Table in January 2001 will focus upon improving the transparency of the electoral process including the independence of election commissions, vote count and tabulation procedures, and public control over the work of the Central Election Commission and subordinate commissions. In May 2001 it is planned to address issues related to the role of the mass media in an election campaign, including a possible Code of Conduct. The last Round Table will consider the election appeals procedure as well as responsibility/sanctions for violations of election legislation.

The first Round Table also led to the expansion of an existing Government Working Group on Improving Election Legislation. In addition to the present members of the Working Group from the Parliament, Central Election Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Information, there will be an additional six representatives of political parties not currently represented in the Parliament, one NGO representative, and one representative of the OSCE. This working group will serve as a bridge between the Round Tables and will be responsible for gathering information, analyzing proposals and preparing each Round Table.

The OSCE Centre in Almaty welcomes the constructive dialog between government and civil society that took place in the Parliament on 2 September and expects all participants to continue this dialog in a spirit of mutual respect and co-operation.

For further details, please feel free to contact OSCE Centre in Almaty at the following telephone numbers: +(7-3272) 621762, 623685, 582309; fax: +(7-3272) 624385; or e-mail at osce@nursat.kz