Review of the Election Legislation for Parliamentary Elections of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The legal framework of elections in Kazakhstan has been the subject of consultations between the authorities of Kazakhstan and OSCE/ODIHR. In the course of these consultations, OSCE/ODIHR presented recommendations on the electoral law prior to the October 1999 parliamentary elections. Additional comments were contained in the needs assessment mission report (25 August 1999) and in the final report (20 January 2000). The authorities of Kazakhstan accepted to continue consultations on the election law, based on the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. On 2 September 2000, during the first round table discussion on elections, the parties agreed on a timetable for further round tables in 2001. The following recommendations will focus on the issues to be discussed in January 2001, such as the independence and formation of election commissions, and election procedures, including the transparency of the vote count and tabulation procedures. The following comments on the legal framework of elections in Kazakhstan are based on the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan” signed by the President on 28 June 1999. Some additional comments are provided on the instructions issued by the Central Election Commission (CEC) through the latter part of 1999.