Press release on early elections to Majilis, the Kazakh Parliament’s lower house

On March 20, 2016, Kazakhstan will hold early elections to the Majilis, the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament. Ninety eight MPs will be elected from political parties. On March 21, they will be joined by another nine MPs appointed by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan to represent the interests of the country’s ethnic communities.

On February 8, 2016, the Kazakh Central Election Commission stopped accepting candidates from political parties. Six political parties are taking part in the election campaign.

The ruling party – Nur Otan (Light of the Fatherland) – headed by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, nominated 127 candidates; the Democratic Party Ak Zhol (Bright Road) 37 candidates; the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan 22 candidates; the People’s Patriotic Party Auyl (Village) 19 candidates; Birlik (Unity) eight candidates and the National Social Democratic Party 28 candidates.

The platforms of practically all of the participants in the elections are promoting stable national economic development and countering the crisis in the country’s economy, the struggle against corruption and decent living conditions for the majority of the population.

The preparations and the holding of the elections will be monitored by a representative group of international observers from 18 countries and 10 international organisations.

Over 300 Russian observers will monitor the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan, including six long-term and 60 short-term observers from the OSCE ODIHR, as well as more than 250 people from the CIS Executive Committee (including representatives from the Russian regions bordering Kazakhstan).

We wish our Kazakh brothers success in holding this important election, which should help consolidate the democratic foundations of society and the state.

March 15, 2016