Askar DARIMBET
ALMATY, Nov 5 (THE GLOBE)
On Friday Umirzak Meldekhanov, a candidate in the Abai circuit publicly disputed the decision by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on acknowledgement of the second round of the election illegal. He announced that �the reason for such preconception is the officer of the President�s administration, the former Akim of the South Kazakhstan, Zautbek Turusbekov.�
In the candidate�s opinion, Turusbekov opposed to elect him, as Meldekhanov repeatedly accused him of intrigues.
Acknowledging the election illegal is �the extra variant to impede his electing dictated by high-ranks functionary Mr.Turusbekov,� though the independent candidate Meldekhanov received 62.7% of votes in the second round and was announced a deputy, according to the protocol of the circuit commission.
According to the law, CEC registers deputies only on the basis of the protocols of circuit commissions. While the ex-candidate ascertains neither regional nor circuit commissions had claimed to the second round of the election in this circuit.
�A official from the CEC arrived to the circuit, took priory prepared papers and returned to the capital,� he said.
The deputy of the CEC chairman whom he met could not explain anything, but referred to numerous complains; though only two of them received on the day of the election.
�Thus, the Central Election Commission exceeded its authority having ignored the will of most voters, as it neither had nor submitted any claims,� he stated.
Umirzak Meldekhanov mentioned the serious interference by the Shymkent administration and the Akim Bekzhigitov into the election. He repeatedly notified the Central Election Commission of these facts, but the latter ignored this.
�The Central Election Commission decided to use the Abai circuit as small change in the dirty game of the functionary against me,� he said.
Umirzak Meldekhanov appealed to the Kazakhstan President requesting to consider the fact. He is going to appeal to the international community for justness, if necessary.
ALMATY, Nov 8
(THE GLOBE)
As President Nazarbayev was praising the honesty and democratic process of the last elections, and comparing international observer mission to communist instructors in the old Party apparat, the world press almost unanimously disagreed, including the Russian press.
In the November 3 issue of Izvestia Alexei Gulyaev wrote, �Supporters of Nursultan Nazarbaev consider the election their triumph. The President managed whatever he wished. The new Parliament consists of his supporters. Otan loyal to the President received most seats (23 of 77). Then there are some other movements loyal to the authorities. The same be said about most �independent� candidates, who won in one-mandate districts.�
�Astana cautiously waits for the reaction of the West, which was �cautious� long ago regarding the violation of democratic standards in Kazakhstan. Now the situation has become more serious. Conclusions by the OSCE mission will have consequence for sure. This is very dangerous for the republican authorities. The economic situation is more difficult than ever. Without new foreign credits Kazakhstan may face the heavy financial crisis. Astana takes risk to stay included in �the black list� of undemocratic states, which are not credited.�
Russia 1995 = Kazakhstan 1999
The last Parliamentary election in Kazakhstan resembled to the Russian election in 1995, if we consider the role of local authorities. That time the President Boris Yeltsin appointed the main part of governors. The party �Nash Dom Rossia� (NDR) loyal to the authorities was supported. The same we observed in Kazakhstan, when Akims promoted candidates from �Otan� and Civil party. But in 1995 NDR received fewer seats in the Duma than �Otan� � in the Mazhilis.
At the eve of the new Duma election the situation in Russia is different. Governors elected and may protect their own interests, but not the Kremlin�s ones. Political manoeuvres by different forces indicate that they mainly struggle to attract regional leaders. We may see some blocks seriously influential in regions. They are �Otechestvo � Vsya Rossia� (OVR), Communist Party of Russian Federation (CPRF), NDR and �Yedinstvo� (the Kremlin strategists established �Yedinstvo� to take votes from OVR, but in the result governors from NDR joined it). It is difficult to overestimate the importance of loyalty of local administrations during election campaign. Both Kazakhstan and Russian elections proved this.
Kazakhstan Akims understood their influence perfectly well. When local authorities are elected (sometime this will happen), political life in Kazakhstan will be more interesting (read how the Parliamentary election influenced the local administration in THE GLOBE #85(403), 02.11.99).
CIS communist�s proposals are getting shape in Ukraine
During the election campaign Leonid Kuchma and Petro Simonenko passed the first round of the Ukrainian election. The third and fourth place belonged to left-winged candidates also. If we take into consideration two facts: a small difference between Kuchma and Simonenko, as well as the political agreement signed between Simonenko and other left-winged candidates, the communist�s victory is quite clear. The essence of the agreement is that some candidates, who did not pass the first round, are to support Simonenko. If the latter wins, they are adopted to divide the power. Petro Simonenko seems to apply to the tactics of the communist Serikbolsyn Abdildin, who asked Kazhegeldin�s people to support him promising to appoint him the PM. Mr. Abdildin did not win, but Simonenko still has a chance. How will the executive power be formed in this case? As different political forces will participate, this will look as unrealised idea of another communist Gennady Zyuganov. Though productivity of such a cabinet is doubtful.
R.D.
President changing his attitude to Kazhegeldin. Why?
THE GLOBE continues its weekly review of materials from the Kazakhs Service of Radio �Liberty� (KSRL). On last Thursday Khabar presented the interview of the country�s President. The President refuted that he was concerned in Swiss accounts, which the Kazakhstan society waited long ago. He also touched the election. The journalist considers the President�s changing attitude to Kazhegeldin very interesting. Why did it changed? What did the President say in his interview? Read material from KSRL in THE GLOBE.
On last Thursday Khabar presented Nursultan Nazarbaev�s interview, given to journalists in the evening November 2. That day the President received the Prime Minister of Low Saxonia (Germany) in his Almaty residence. After that he received the writer Abdizhamal Nurpeisov and sculptor Shota Ualikhanov.
Then they showed Nazarbaev drinking tea with his family: daughters and sons-in-law. Sara Alpysovna was absent. It happened she was again undergoing the course of medical treatment. One of the President�s daughters and his husband, the head of �KazTransOil� Timur Kulibaev were also absent. After some episodes of the President�s family shown, the journalist asked the President some questions.
The interview touched several topics: last publications in �The New York Times� about accounts in the Swiss bank, violations during the last Parliamentary election and the ex-Prime Minister Kazhegeldin.
Nazarbaev said he had heard the information of Russian TV channels that he had accounts in the Swiss bank. Refuting this information, the President publicly announced �I never had either accounts or real estate abroad.� But international mass media have not concluded this. Russian TV channels (NTV, ORT, and RTR) were the first who spoke on October 16 of the personal accounts of the Kazakhstan President. �The New York Times� published an investigation mentioning accounts in the French Bank in Switzerland connected with Nazarbaev. What initiated the investigation? We will try to suppose the true reason for this.
In the beginning of this year the Kazakhstani General Office of Public Prosecutor asked the Swiss Office of Public Prosecutor to check if Kazhegeldin had any foreign accounts. The investigation team headed by Daniel Devo while seeking Kazhegeldin�s accounts occasionally found Nazarbaev�s ones. This happened in August. But the society knew about this story only in the mid October. The Russian TV channel ORT recently not broadcast at all. Nazarbaev refuted the information presented by almost all world mass media.
Presently the Kazakhstan President�s attitude toward Kazhegeldin has significantly changed. Before Nazarbaev demanded to make Kazhegeldin answerable. The former PM not adopted to either Presidential or Parliamentary elections. Now the President expressed his opinion, which may be interpreted as forgiving Kazhegeldin and permitting him to return to Kazakhstan. Why did it change? Maybe, the President again favours Kazhegeldin?
Probably, the matter is different. Possibly, Kazhegeldin was directly concerned in the story with Nazarbaev�s accounts in Switzerland. Presently Kazhegeldin being abroad criticises the President. The West, including the USA changed its opinion about the republic headed by Nazarbaev. We may say they have turned aside from Kazakhstan. Today we may think that Nazarbaev has no other friend, except the dictator Lukashenko, the President of Byelorussia. Even presidents of the neighbouring Central Asian countries do not favour him.
This information about foreign accounts poured oil on the flames. Kazhegeldin is directly concerned in this, and Nazarbaev must know it. Possibly, that is why the President understanding that he is not able to overcome Kazhegeldin, obviously favours him.
Another topic touched by Nazarbaev is the last Parliamentary election. The President said the election had been democratic. The ballyhoo around the election was just the reaction of lost candidates. Most probably the new election not discussed as the President avoided this theme.
This interview of the state leader did not differ from previous ones. He wished to explain the situation in the country only from his personal point of view. The President did not mention the fall of standard of life, delayed reforms and danger threatening democracy in our country. In the end the President again asked people to be patient till the better times.
07.11.99
Will we have bread, if we have a figure?
The result of the harvest�99 exceeded both expectations and official prognoses. Despite all difficulties, the harvest is big. How are cheerful figures of �billion of poods� are reliable? The KSRL weekly program �Khalyk zhane naryk� (People and market).
It was officially announced that in this year Kazakhstan had unprecedented harvest. According to the Minister of Agriculture Sauat Mynbaev, 15.9 million tons of grain, including 12.5 million tons of wheat harvested from 11.5 million hectares. Hence, we had 14.5 centners of grain per one hectare. Kazakhstan did not reach this record even in the soviet time, when the iron communist order reigned. If we take into consideration that the agriculture stagnated, the damage caused by locusts, it is not a sin to hold the national festival having such figures. But Sauat Mynbaev explained the success mainly by the favourable weather. Nursultan Nazarbaev receiving the Byelorussian President on Thursday also could not hide his gladness. But the Kazakhstan President did not give simple estimations as �granaries are full due to sovereignty.�
�The land blossoms due to rain�, Kazakh people say. Today this people�s saying is urgent. The sky sent a lot of vivifying water, and locusts could not continue its deadly attack. While harvesting it did not rain at all, and in northern regions harvesting was completed before it snowed. In last year Kazakhstan lost harvest due to drought. The country gathered only 7 million tons of grain. Though area under crops was two times more, the harvest was two times less. Many farms could hardly return what they sowed. Of course, if there had been no locust, this harvest would have been significantly bigger. The deputy Minister of Agriculture Toleukhan Nurkiyanov said, locusts had eaten crops in 8.5 million hectares. According to the official information, the average crops capacity in this year was 14.5 centners per hectare. Hence, Kazakhstan lost about 12 million tons of grain! Supervisors did not mention these data at all. If there had been no locusts, Kazakhstan would have 28 million tons of grain. This was not dreamt about in the soviet time, when Dinmukamed Kunaev received gold medals. That time only about 2 twice the republic had the gross harvest of 25 to 27 million tons, including net 16.4 tons. This was the famous �billion of poods of bread� (Russian pood is equal to 16.4 kg.)
Anyhow, it occurs that this year Kazakhstan has the gross harvest of almost billion of poods! How could heads of the agriculture forget about it? The reason for such a modesty is obvious. The official economic statistic is often unreliable and doubtful. The statistics has become a weapon of propaganda. It is not known how this figure of 15.9 million tons formed. The agricultural production is private. There is no former strict monitor. Who keeps statistical records? There is no information on condition of the harvest.
The officer of the National Academic Centre of Agricultural Research, the academician Iztleu Abugaliev said to the radio �Liberty� that the results were unconvincing. The large harvest preceded by 6 to 7 factors: systematic fertilising, protection of plants, rotation of crops, timely ploughing and sowing. Many of them are ignored today. Farmers do not even dream about elite seeds. According to the academician I. Abugaliev, a good crops cannot grow due to only a lot of rains. In the last year Kazakhstan had few grains. In this year the same people and the same technique work in the field. Maybe, we should have changed the Ministry of Agriculture before?
Of course, independent analysts are free in their estimations. But they have no reliable information. The official statistics is unsuitable, as it false. This is proved by the newspaper �Panorama� loyal to the authorities mentioning the turnover with Romania. In this year for 7 months Kazakhstan has imported products worth almost US$ 19 million. Import significantly exceeded export. These are data from the Romanian embassy. What did the statistics gain from making the figure 2.5 times less? So the state statistics, erecting Potemkin�s villages, loses trust.
06.11.99
THE GLOBE based on materials from the Kazakh Service of Radio �Liberty�
(Translated from Kazakh by THE GLOBE)
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