ID :
162810
Mon, 02/21/2011 - 15:42
Auther :

Kazakhstan assigns almost $ 32 mln for early election

ASTANA, February 21 (Itar-Tass) - An equivalent of 31.8 million
dollars (4.706 billion tenge) has been allocated from reserve funds of the Kazakh government for the early presidential election scheduled for April 3, the chairman of the Kazakh Central Election Commission (CEC), Kuandyk Turgankulov, said on Monday.
This is 11.5 million dollars more than the money spent for the
presidential election in 2005. According to the chairman, the sum of
expenses has grown because of "inflation processes as well as an objective increase in expenses to ensure the activity of election commissions".
The amount of budget money for the election campaign has also grown.
According to Turgankulov, it will be 6.294 tenge (42,500 dollars) for each candidate. Candidates received an equivalent of 39,500 dollars at the previous election in 2005.
This money will be used to cover their expenses for public election events and publication of election printed matter as well as transport expenses. To hold their election campaigns, the presidential candidates also have the right to set up election funds, whose maximum amount is about three million dollars.
The nomination of candidates ended in Kazakhstan on Sunday. According to the Central Election Commission, 22 contenders have submitted applications for participation in the election.
Three political parties nominated their candidates, namely Nur Otan - incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan - Zhambyl Akhmetbekov, the Kazakh Party of Patriots - Gani Kasymov and the republican people's patriotic movement Zheltoksan (December) - Kurmangazy Rakhmetov. Other candidates are self-nominees.
Five hopefuls did not pass the Kazakh language exam, the Kazakh CEC reported. Four of them were already denied registration. Another two self-nominees dropped from the presidential race.
The only officially registered presidential candidate is incumbent
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The registration of presidential candidates continues and will end on March 2. Apart from passing the Kazakh language exam for official registration a presidential candidate is to deposit about 800,000 tenge (about 5,000 dollars) to the CEC account and to file an income and property declaration in the tax service. Under the resolution, which the CEC has earlier issued, at least 91,000 voters equally representing all 16 regions of the country are to sign up for a presidential candidate. The canvassing campaign will be launched on March 3 and will end on April 1 that is two days before the election day.

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