Rashid DYUSEMBAEV
ALMATY, Oct 27
(THE GLOBE)
�A state coup�, �the constitution should be changes� were mostly often heard at the Kazakhstan Forum of Democratic Forces held on October 27 in Almaty.
Serious infringements made during the Parliamentary election forced different opposition forces to hold the Forum and sign a resolution. The latter contain the demand to hold a new Mazhilis and Maslikhats election in the next spring.
The resolution states that all branches of the Kazakhstan authorities are illegal, as they created infringing the legislation.
Meanwhile Akezhan Kazhegeldin in his appeal to the Forum marked the opposition�s victory and offered to establish a Parliamentary fraction �Republic�, which is supposed to unite the opposition deputies.
This proposal contradicts to the resolution, which considers the new Parliament illegal, i.e. opposition deputies are also illegal.
The ex-PM proposes to submit to the Parliament bills on the new Constitution and election through �Republic�. These bills are to be worked out by all political forces (it is unclear, whether Otan and CPK will take part in the dialogue).
Mr. Kazhegeldin wishes the Forum were a regular event, The ex-Prime Minister proposes Gaziz Aldamzharov, the chairman of the RPPK executive committee, as a co-chairman of the Forum.
According to an independent politologist, Akezhan Kazhegeldin makes another trial to unite the opposition forces around himself. In December 1998 Mr. Kazhegeldin organized in Moscow the Congress of Kazakhstan Democratic Forces. Only some democratic parties and movements sent their representatives to the Congress (THE GLOBE #97 (312), 09.12.99)). In the result of the Republican People�s Party of Kazakhstan was established. According to analysts, Mr. Kazhegeldin hopes that RPPK will become the kernel of the Kazakhstan opposition. However, the Mazhilis election demonstrated, some other opposition forces are recognized in Kazakhstan. Due to the common resentment of the opposition political forces, the RPPK leader recommences his efforts to widen the opposition circle.
It is difficult to say if it is possible, as politicians and public figures� speeches were rather emotional than constructive.
The resolution was signed by 13 persons, including Pyotr Svoik, Bakhytzhamal Bekturganova, Gaziz Aldamzharov, Serikbolsyn Abdildin, Baltash Tursumbaev, and others.
To comment if elected opposition deputies should refuse from mandates because of serious infringements during the election, we offer you politicians� opinion regarding perspective merge of the Kazakhstan democratic forces.
ALMATY, Oct 28 (THE GLOBE)
Pyotr Svoik, a co-chairman of the democratic party �Azamat�:
- The yesterday�s Democratic Forum was a very important event. By the number of opposition deputies and political importance it is the first such forum in Kazakhstan. I am carefully optimistic regarding the further fate of this forum.
I do not think that a few opposition candidates elected to the Parliament will refuse from their mandates. But they should choose a clear and principal position that the election was not legal and democratic. By the way, Mr. Abdildin has accepted this position.
Serikbolsyn Abdildin, the first secretary of the Communist part of Kazakhstan:
- On Wednesday the forum responded to the authorities� tyranny with a challenge. Though in comparison with the presidential election, there were less falsifications at the Parliamentary election, infringements were observed everywhere.
The democratic forces will take measures according to the authorities� reaction to the resolution.
I am sure if the election had been honest, the Communist party would have received 7 mandates instead of 2. Our mandates were given to two parties, which had appeared two to three months before the election.
We may sacrifice our mandates any time. We do not wish to collect any sops. But we will try to establish a Parliamentary fraction.
Bakhytzhamal Bekturganova, the president of the Association of Sociologists and Politologists (ASaP):
- To my mind, a year ago such a union was impossible. The only positive result of the last election was the merge of democratic forces of Kazakhstan. Till mid November similar forums will be held in all regions of Kazakhstan. A lot of delegates from different republican regions were present at the forum. We plan to hold meetings, to collect signatures on the resolution and to institute an open case against the Central Election Commission and some circuit commissions.
- However, we do not think, opposition deputies elected to the Parliament are to refuse from their mandates. If the President considers the election valid, they will have to co-ordinate their decisions with us.
Seidakhmet Kuttykadam, the chairman of the public union �Orleu�:
- It is a very difficult question. There were a lot of unsuccessful efforts to establish a single opposition union. To my mind, this union is quite necessary now. We require an organization to withstand the present authoritarian system.
Irina Savostina, the Pokolenye leader:
- I completely support the idea of participants to establish a single block. Soon similar forums will be held everywhere in Kazakhstan to attract the society�s attention. I think opposition deputies should refuse from their mandates, as the last election was illegal.
Gaziz Aldamzharov, the chairman of the RPPK executive committee:
- This opposition union will grow, if Nazarbaev follows the same policy. The President makes people join the opposition. If the head of the state promotes such an election, thus he widens our circle. This forum will persist on the new just election. To achieve this, a new Constitution and a new law on election are to be issued.
I offered opposition deputies not to refuse from their mandates until an official permission of the mandate commission issued. Let the Central Election Commission prove in its report that the election was honest. We will prove the opposite.
Madat AKKOZIN
ALMATY, Oct 27
(Specially for THE GLOBE)
The instruction given to us before we went to election districts, warned: �you must be ready for the election to Mazhilis and Maslikhats to be anti-democratic and hence, difficult for you. The election results are unpredictable and sometimes do not depend on the voters� will.� I knew beforehand that the open hostility created by my candidate Bigeldy Gabdullin and his critical newspaper �21st century� would forbid him a seat in Parliament.
Aul election district 785 of the Talgar circuit No.10. I found a comfortable place to watch the election process. I saw one stationary and two portable ballot-boxes sealed. Members of the commission reacted correctly when I said that one person could not vote on behalf of several. Strangers were turned away after my comment. The commission looked as if it were going to conduct an honest election. The district was punctually closed. But instead of calculating ballots from portable ballot-boxes, officials emptied ballots from the stationary one on the table. Then ignoring my protest, they added ballots from portable ballot-boxes. Now it was impossible to determine whether the number of ballots in the portable box matched the number of persons who voted at home.
Why should they ignore the rules, if not to support one of the candidates? Of course, they were not going to support mine. The results confirmed that Bigeldy Gabdullin collected the least number of votes, despite optimistic prognoses.
I prepared complaint of infringement. The chairman of the district commission signed it without any hesitation. He was confident he would not be punished. This happened during the first round of the election. Despite everything, Gabdullin participated in the second one. His competitor was Ualikhan Kalizhanov, an Otan member patronized by the authorities.
This time I observed at district 761. Unlike the previous district, this commission started with ballots from the portable ballot-box. Despite the difference between ballots and the number of applications for voting at home was only one extra ballot, the commission considered all ballots invalid. There were only 40 ballots in the portable box.
Then I saw a serious infringement. When the voting protocol was hanged on the wall according to the instruction, I gasped. According to my data, 499 persons voted, while according to the commission � 848 less 40 persons who voted at home. The difference was almost double. All the day I was sitting near the ballot-box opposite polling booths and watched members of the commission giving ballots. First, persons wishing to vote on behalf of several men were stopped. I registered each voter noting the time. There were so few voters that I could not be off by more than 10-20 voters. I left my post only three times for several minutes, but I had someone stand in for me.
It could take a second to move ballots filled in for Kalimzhanov from table to table. The chairman of the election commission Dursunov refused to sign an complaint that both used and extra ballots had been calculated on adjoining tables. He knew that claims by a single observer would not be considered as a proof.
This election is considered as more transparent for candidates� observers. What is the use of it, if their remarks do not influence the result? The observer fixes facts. Other observers also noticed similar or more serious infringements, which assisted Kalimzhanov in winning a Mazhilis seat. They shared impressions with each other and complained. Why did they go far from their houses and spend 13 hours at a district polling place? The current election system makes it possible for the authorities to select the deputies they want. If we have observers, they should be authorized to influence the process, as members of election commissions do. Of course, it is better to hold a democratic election with commissions, including the Central Election Commission, responsible to only their conscience.
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
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