Gulbanu ABENOVA
ALMATY, March 25
(THE GLOBE)
�The growth of agriculture stimulates the development of the whole economy�, such was the title of the article by Mukhtar Ablyazov, Energy, Industry and Trade Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The article has been published in �Kazakhstanskaya pravda�
He notes that a lot of sectors of the economy suffered from insufficient financing last 4-5 years and now are endangered to perish. The government cannot simultaneously support them all. So the Minister proposes to give priorities to those branches of the economy which at the moment are most impotent to the country and promise to become efficient. He especially expressed concern with the state of affairs in agriculture.
Ervin Gossen, Academician of the National academy of Kazakhstan, said THE GLOBE he believed the agriculture might become the basis of the country�s economy and wondered why the Minister did not provide information on financing the agriculture in the nearest future.
ALMATY, March 25
The representatives of Kazakhstan�s political parties and public movements have prepared an appeal to the Parliament of Kazakhstan regarding a new Law �About elections.�
The representatives believe that for a number of reasons, the existing Decree of the President �About elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan� and the Constitutional law of the Republic of Kazakhstan �About changes and supplementation to the decree of the President �About elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan� dated May, 8, 1998.
First, the Decree �About elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan� has the status of the Constitutional law. While only the Parliament is authorised to issue the laws. The President does not have the corresponding right.
Secondly, the Decree �About elections� contains a lot of contradictions both between its separate parts and the main provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan. These contradictions reduce the democracy of the election system and deprives the Kazakh people of the right to express their free will.
Thirdly, this Decree is an example of typical totalitarian control by the authorities over the operations of the election system. The Decree was initiated by a single person in the State and it complies with his interests.
The representatives of the opposition believe, that Kazakhstan should have a proper legal system regulating election process. This system must be based upon the real law regarding elections and should comply with society�s interests and international democratic standards.
The main objective of the new law should be a creation of the new election system independent from the executive powers� organisations.
The Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan should be the only state institution in from which the new law is to be initiated, discussed and approved. It is essential that the Parliamentary commission be established consisting of a number of deputies, as well as representatives of the political parties and public associations.
Neither the executive organs nor their head, the President of Kazakhstan should have the right to interfere with the work of this commission. Nor whould either of the aforementioned be able to influence the new election law.
If the Parliament is not able to prevent the new Law, it should make the required changes and supplements to the Decree of the President �About elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan�.
In connection with this, the following additions and supplements to the above mentioned Decree are required:
1. Article 2 is to be interpreted as follows: �To guarantee free and democratic elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan, all election procedures beginning from the establishment of election bodies and until the final determination of the election results should be public.�
2. To exclude subpoints 1 and 2, point 4, article 4 forbidding registration of persons brought to disciplinary trial and incurred an administrative exaction by the court, as candidates of deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Maslikhats and of the institutions of local government.
3. Point 3, article 5 should be interpreted as �The use of candidate�s privileges due to his status in the state organisations or the institutions of local government, including the elected ones, are not permissible and will result in either the abandonment of the candidate�s registration in the concerned election commission or in the recognition of the election as invalid�.
4. Point 3, article 10 should be interpreted as follows: �The election commissions of all the levels are formed by the respective representative bodies�.
5. Point 4, article 10 is to be interpreted as follows: �Decisions regarding the establishment of the election commissions, their content and location are to be published in the mass media, while their activity is to be financed by the republican or local budgets. Information about the content, location and working order of the election commissions should be published not later than ten days after announcement of the election and should be available to the population at any time�.
6. Point 2, article 11 is to be interpreted as follows: �The Central election commission consists of its Chairman, his deputy, a secretary and members of the commission. They can be elected and withdrawn by the Mazhilis of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Not less than two candidatures should be nominated by the Mazhilis members to the positions of the Chairman and secretary of the Central election commission. The number of candidates proposed as members of the Central election commission should exceed the list of the number of its members. The Mazhilis factions and deputies� groups, as well as the political parties are authorised to propose their candidatures to the Mazhilis of the Republic of Kazakhstan for further nomination of the same to the Central election commission.�
7. Point 2, article 13 should be supplemented with the following sentences: �The Chairmen, deputies of the chairmen, secretaries and members of the territorial election commissions are elected to the position and withdrawn by the Maslikhats. Not less than two candidatures are to be nominated by the Maslikhat members to the positions of the Chair, deputy the Chair, and secretary of the territorial election commission. The number of candidates proposed as the members of the territorial election commission should exceed the list number of its members, provided by the Maslikhat�.
8. In point 3 (article 13), point 3 (article 15) and point 3 (article 17) the words �appointment or announcement of the election by the akims established them� should be supplemented with the words �their establishment�.
9. Point 4 (article 20) should be supplemented with the following sentence: �Candidates, their representatives and persons empowered to act for them, representatives of mass media, accredited observers of the public associations, political parties, foreign states and international organisations registered in the corresponding circuit have the right to be present at the meetings of the election commission and to have access to the all materials of the commission.�
10. Point 3 (article 40) should be interpreted as follows: �After the election stations have been opened, only one empowered person or representative of each candidate put to the vote, one representative of each mass media given the task by their editor, one observer from public associations and political parties, as well as observers of foreign organisations accredited by the corresponding election commission may be present.�
11. Point 5 (article 42) should be interpreted as follows: �Only one proxy or representative of each balloting candidate, one representative of each mass media accredited at the corresponding election commission, one observer from each public association, political party, as well as of each foreign state and international organisation can be present at each station during election. This period of time is from the moment in which the divisional election commission begins its work until the moment that they are notified that the higher election commission has received the election result.�
12. Point 3 (article 43) should be interpreted as follows: �Vote counting is executed separately for each candidate. The ballot-boxes should be opened by the corresponding election commission after the end of voting is announced by the chairman of the commission. While opening a ballot-box, counting votes, determining of the election results and preparing the respective protocols a proxy or a representative of each balloting candidate, one representative of each mass media accrediting at the corresponding election commission. One observer of each of the public associations, political parties, foreign states and international organisations can be present.�
13. Point 2 (article 59), point 2 (article 73) and article 88 regarding payment of an election fee as a deposit is to be excluded.
14. In accordance with point 3 (article 50) of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan the Law should be supplemented with a provision fixing the election of ten deputies on the basis of the parties� lists by a system of proportional representation.
The representatives of the opposition parties declare that in case the Parliament does not supplement the law and subsequently prevents democratisation of the election system, they will appeal to the citizens of our country as well as to the international community.
A. KAZHEGELDIN, Chairman of the Republican People�s Party of Kazakhsan
S. ABDILDIN, 1st Secretary of the Kazakhstan Communist Party Central Committee
G. ALDAMZHAROV, Chairman of Executive Committee of the Republican People�s Party
ALYABIEV, Deputy of the leader of the public association �Russian community of Kazakhstan�
Ya. BELOUSOV, Chairman of Almaty city organisation of the Republican Slavonic movement �Lad�
V. VORONOV, Public association �Legal development of Kazakhstan�
Ye. ZHOVTIS, Director the International Bureau on human rights
V. ZEMLYANOV, Deputy of the Mazhilis of the Republic Kazakhstan
M. ISMAILOV, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the workers� movement of Kazakhstan �Solidarity�
U. IHSANOV, ex-judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan
KARISHAL ASAN-ata, a laureate of the international premium Helman Hemmet
V. KOROTIN, Chairman of the public council of the Officers� Union
S. KUTTYKADAM, Chairman of �Orleu� movement
B. MARINUSHKIN, ex-deputy of the Super Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan
N. MASANOV, doctor historical sciences, a member of the Central Council of the Republican People�s Party of Kazakhstan
I. SAVOSTINA, Chairman of the Republican movement �Pokolenye�
V. CHERNYSHOV, Chairman of �Pokolenye� movement, Kostanai region, secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, ex-deputy of the Super Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Gulbanu ABENOVA
ALMATY, March 24 (THE GLOBE)
�From the moment of its establishment, �Orleu� has felt constant pressure from the authorities�, a leader of the movement announced on 24th March in Almaty.
According to Seidakhmet Kuttykadam, a number of journalists in both the southern capital and in the regions have been subjected to persecution for reporting about his movement. �A political prohibition on the profession is obvious,� he said.
The leaders of the public movement said that their activists� telephones are unofficially listened to. The officers of the Committee on National Safety are constantly observed at the meetings, as well as at the press conferences. �The political atmosphere in the country seems very grave and permits no freedom of speech,� Mr. Kuttykadam stated.
Widespread unemployment in Kazakhstan�s Southern region will soon lead to a social insurrection. �A great unrest is expected in the near future in Taraz, as a range of manifestations is being prepared there. �Orleu� will take part in them,� the representative stated.
�Orleu� is going to take part in the Parliament election. It will nominate 12 persons and the movement hopes that 4 of them will succeed.
On April 10 a Constituent Conference will be held in Almaty to expand the movement�s operations across the nation.
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