Gulbanu ABENOVA
ASTANA, Oct 2 (THE GLOBE)
�The actions of the Republican People�s Party of Kazakhstan are not logical,� the chairman of the Central Election Commission announced on October 1 in Astana.
Zagipa Balieva considers that to withdraw candidates of the party�s list, but not to withdraw � by one-mandate districts is not logical, as �the party announces the boycott.� She refuted the statement of Mr. Masanov that �they are self-nominated candidates in one-mandate districts, and the party is just supporting them�. The chairman demonstrated the document of RPPK No. 1425 dated August 18, according to which these people are not self-nominated candidates, as they have been nominated at the party�s conference. The list of candidates to the Mazhilis of the Parliament of RK approved by the RPPK�s conference consists of 20 persons. �None of the persons mentioned in the list withdrew his candidature from the registration and supported his party to boycott the election,� Mrs. Balieva states.
�The situation with RPPK is unclear. They say that if the party�s chairman Mr. Kazhegeldin is not registered, the conference decided to reject the election to the Mazhilis by the party�s list. on September 9 they registered the party�s list, the members of the party received certificates, took part in the agitation, political debates. That means they participated in the election. Thus, members of RPPK did not fulfil the resolution of their conference,� Mrs. Balieva emphasised.
On the same day the chairman of the Central Election Commission though mass media proposed RPPK to reconsider its decision and participate in the election, and to hold a conference to reconsider the resolution. However, on October 2 it was known that RPPK was not going to reconsider the previous resolution.
Mrs. Balieva announced that till October 1 RPPK had not submitted any document confirming the party�s statement at the press conference in Almaty, to the Central Election Commission. Nevertheless, the Central Election Commission sent inquiries to all publishing companies in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and to all Akimats, for them to notify the Commission whether representatives of RPPK had applied to them requesting to make agitation materials. The Central Election Commission received the information from almost all publishing companies, RPPK had not applied to them. Akimats stated that when RPPK asked for premises, the latter were allotted to them to hold prescribed events. Only �Kazakhstanskaya pravda� stated that Mr. Kosanov had applied to them to place his article, but he had been rejected due to overload of the newspaper. According to Mrs. Balieva, the Central Election Commission requested the newspaper to give Mr. Kosanov a chance to publish the article for him to realise his legal right. The answer was positive.
As far as claims are concerned, as of October 1, 115 appeals have been received, including 109 ones devoted to the election (including 41 � from citizens, 32 � from candidates, 11 � from representatives of political parties and public unions, 9 � from proxies of candidates, 5 � from election commissions, and 2 � from the mass media).
Most appeals were from electors from Almaty and Astana. Appeals contain claims to the election commission (16), to candidates (20), to actions of state functionaries (21), regarding the election agitation (12), and to activity of the mass media (4). Besides, appeals touch issues regarding financing of the election, voting, etc.
The chairman said that all claims had been considered, measured had been taken, as many facts had been proved. She emphasised that the mass media were more active during that election campaign. There is no censorship in the mass media, and a candidate�s speech is published in newspapers and broadcast at TV channels in the initial form. �Sometimes it seems to them that their rights are infringed, but when we ask them to give the facts, they cannot do this,� she said.
Zagipa Balieva affirmed that the special commission to consider claims to the mass media worked at the Central Election Commission. At the present time the commission considers the facts of persecution of �SolDat� newspaper (THE GLOBE #74 (392), 01.10.99) and other claims regarding infringement of journalists� rights and persecution of the mass media are being checked.
Another special commission to consider the observation of the rules of financing the election campaign, now considers the case of Civil Party. According to Mrs. Balieva, there a lot of claims to this party were received through the mass media and the commission is checking the facts of presents given by the party. �The investigation is serious, the commission checks banking accounts. We will announce soon the results of the commission�s work,� she said.
In connection with the RPPK�s rejection to participate in the election, the Central Election Commission decided that bulletins would not be re-printed. According to the approved resolution, the party will be cut out from the bulletins. �To re-print nine million of bulletins is a significant luxury for our state in this difficult period,� Mrs. Balieva emphasised.
As far as the second round is concerned, in her opinion, most probably, it will be held in many districts, as for the first time in our state a great number of candidates (about 8 persons)strive for each mandate. Within a month the second round will be announced.
Financial means required for the second round were been considered, she said. At the present time the Central Election Commission negotiates with the government to find money for the same.
Zagipa Balieva refutes rumours that when the election is completed, she will be appointed a senator. �After the election I will not be a senator, I will go on maternity leave,� she said about her plans.
THE GLOBE is successive, as to comment a material without publication, is a good soviet tradition. Do you remember how �Pravda� defeated utterly �liars� from Wall-street or from places where we had never been, and we had not seen their statements at all, but there were a lot of comments.
Today we publish Mr. Kazhegeldin�s letter.
The election will be dishonest � who doubts along with Mrs. Zagipa Balieva? But here it is the tone of the ex-Prime Minister�s letter to the members of the election commissions (quotation):
- The appearance of the Republican People�s Party has changed the political life of the country;
- Allies of RPPK support the good and justness.
- People understand that honesty and � the votes are a heroic deed in the present situation in Kazakhstan.
It seems that Akezhan Kazhegeldin�s life is transforming to a heroic deed. And at last, �do not risk in vain� (quotation). The ex-PM knows perfectly well that he has never risked in vain, as the risk seemed to have been compensated when he was sitting in the armchair of the chairman of the government.
Now when he is sitting in London, he does not dare to go further than Moscow. It is a heavy burden, especially after he risked so.
The most interesting thing (or the most uninteresting, if you want) is what the common elector can choose between the present authorities and opposition Kazhegeldin?
Is there a room for the third force?
It is obvious from Mr. Kazhegeldin�s message that once ��you will not have to flush and hide your eyes.� While this ballyhoo regarding democracy in a Kazakhstan way is observed, we reminded lines by Yuryi Shevchuk: �The country is in shit, and possibly me as well: I am not sold, but getting cheaper.�
Dear compatriots,
The Parliamentary election is coming. Now the calculation of the results of the election will depend on you.
Nobody can expect that the election will be honest. It is impossible, because me along with some other politicians were rejected to participate in the election due to false reasons.
This election will not be honest, as many candidates, e.g. Vladimir Chernyshev was rejected to speak at the TV channel, while candidates from �the authorities� party� are being demonstrated from morning till evening.
This election will not be honest, as provocations are being created against disagreeable politicians. The sad example of my deputy Vitaly Voronov, who due to his human weakness became a victim of the sordid blackmail by the Almaty CNS proves this. It is also well known what role the Tax policy plays in the struggle against candidates of the opposition. It is just shameful to talk about �independence� of Kazakhstan courts. Everyone who had to deal with the courts at least once, knows for whom they work.
Though now it is clear that this election will be dishonest, as the Presidential election was, electors and members of the election commissions cannot just give the election results up as lost.
Yes, our Parliament has no real power, and the President is still using it as he wants. But, nevertheless, the results of the Parliamentary election are very important for Kazakhstan. It depends on the election whether the authorities will be given a lesson of a civil protest, or the authorities will give a lesson of pressure. It will depend on the election results, whether we will make the President and his surrounding think what they are doing in our country.
The election campaign of 1999 will be included in the history of Kazakhstan due to the tension of the struggle. The appearance of the Republican People�s Party has changed the political life of the country. From time to time newspapers have to write about our initiatives. Following members of RPPK, some former statesmen, who were faithful to the President dare to criticise the authorities. For the time being they criticise shyly looking back, but it is a progress! The authorities cannot just re-elect themselves. They have to struggle, though often with mean methods. The authorities expose their weakness in this fight.
Allies of RPPK of the block �Republic� support the good and justness. They also expose crimes of the present �masters� of the country, they demand equality before the law and proper life for all Kazakhstan citizens. Possibly, namely thanks to the fact that all its forces CNS, Tax police and other servants of the regime wasted to persecute our party, it has become easier for other opposition forces. We wish our comrades by the block to be successful.
The authorities in Astana rather require a victory with a crushing result, but not just a victory. They want �people�s support� to justify the increasing illegality. Let�s impede them to defeat us! People are to vote according to their conscious, and members of the election commissions are to calculate honestly the votes.
All laws, which can be infringed, have been already infringed. They have just to falsify the election results. You know better than any other people do, how this may be done. But at the same time you know better than anybody else does how you can impede this.
People understand that honesty and observation of the rules while calculating the votes are a heroic deed in the present situation in Kazakhstan. Everyone of you has children and a family. To lose a job means to leave them without money to live. Don�t risk in vain. But when it is possible, stand firm. Your compatriots will know this and respect you more.
Dear compatriots and fellow-citizens, remember that this election is not the last one. Soon Kazakhstan will have to elect the Parliament and President really freely and honestly. After the next election you will not have to flush and hide your eyes, and electors will not have to clench their fists in useless anger. The future election will be the start of the new era of Kazakhstan�s flourishing, the era of prosperity and justness. Everyone can make it closer.
With respect and hope,
Akezhan Kazhegeldin
Pyotr NOVIKOV
ALMATY, Oct 4 (THE GLOBE)
Obviously, the pre-election struggle�99 made some corrections and changes to the camp of political parties loyal to the President. On one hand, these parties seem to form the single front, guaranteeing the protection of the ruling elite�s interests. Thus, the executive power tries to fill the political and parliamentary space with these structures.
But on the other hand, the two main forces loyal to the President, Otan and Civil Party of Kazakhstan (CPK) are rigidly competing for the sphere of their influence on the legislative field.
The reason of the struggle of the two parties, which today are the most influential ones, can be explained with different orientations. In this case this is not just a struggle between the parties, but rather a fight between representatives of the functionary and industrial oligarchies.
If yesterday the functionaries� elite had an unlimited control for all spheres, at the present time a part of the control for the industrial sphere has been transferred to the industrial and the new by its composition, oligarchy.
The concentration and the volume of the capital already allows to form their own structure (party) to promote and protect interests at the political level. Evidently, political interests demand the struggle for sits in the legislative body.
Parallelly with the financial capital CPK is accumulation the political one. On one hand, CPK is being supported by the top of the powerful Olympus. On the other hand, to �legalise� the office �in the bottom�, the party collects votes at such enterprises as the JSC �Ferrochrome�, �Donskoi GOK�, SSGPO, JSC �Aluminy Kazakhstana�, AZF, Eurasian Power Corporation, AGRES, and at the mine �Vostochny�. That means that their own oligarchic estate provide them with votes. It is noteworthy that aims of regional leaders (regional Akims) often coincide with the industrialists� interests. Can we say that �CPK-Otan� opposition is the opposition of the regional elite and the centre?
The solvency of CPK may be proved by the volume of the advertisement campaign at TV, in the press, and street boards. The pre-election promises (the platform) of CPK are so wide, as their campaign is. There is everything: the progress of the economic, industrial, social and political spheres.
Thought there is no word regarding the forms of possession on the land and bowels of the earth. There are also no concrete urgent steps to be made to enter the Parliament hall. The program is characterised with the stake on the result, which may be seen and felt only in some decades. Under the present Kazakhstan ruins conditions it is impossible to imagine the realisation of this program within a short period.
Opposing to the industrial oligarchy, the functionaries� one, which does not wish to surrender, established Otan. The professional, managerial composition of Otan administration consists of either working or former functionaries. Despite its young age, the party bravely includes in its archive the merit of the President�s re-election. Now the party is being supported by the very top of the powerful Olympus.
From the height of such wonderful, but very promising opportunities, Otan could pretend on all sits in the Parliament, and further, to strengthen its positions significantly under the roof of the legislative body.
By the volume of the political influence and capital, the first two lines of the political chart are taken by these two parties, which are able to compete at this high level.
According to the authors� idea, which can be easily understood, if these parties are stable, they are supposed to form the two-party system similar to the American Republican and Democratic Parties, the two main political monsters.
However, it is obviously, that in case of any distribution of sits among these two parties, the Parliament may be filled with the oligarchic majority and will serve their interests. We assume that this contradiction will not be observed always. They will agree on some issues. They will be able just to come to agreement. That is why the Parliament extremely requires the opposition, as it requires the air. If the opposition comes to the Parliament, the oligarchs will have to face interests of the opposition�s parties. For the time being let the opposition defend their inside-party interest. The main thing is that these interests are to be accompanied with the struggle. In this case the struggle will be strengthened and complicated. Then, at last, the Parliament may transform from a useless, inert appendix to the brave independent body.
According to the logic, if the industrial oligarchy represented by CPK has been involved into the big game, this may prove a significant concentration of their capital. To save the capital further it is required to participate in the big policy to represent their interests. If CPK�s positions are strengthened, the party (industrialists) will be able to make the central power take into consideration the oligarchs� interests.
Under the conditions of the struggle of such powerful forces, they could even make each other fulfil the pre-election promises.
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