CIS mission confident of transparent elections in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, August 18 (Itar-Tass) - The CIS observer mission head has
expressed confidence that the elections to the upper house of Kazakhstan's
parliament on August 19 will be transparent and will comply with all
democratic principles.
The mission's head and the CIS Executive Committee chairman, Sergei
Lebedev, met with the head of the Kazakhstan's central election
commission, Kuandyk Turgankulov, on Thursday.
Lebedev underlined that the CIS observer mission has been repeatedly
monitoring the elections in the Central Asian republic and its goal "is to
ensure transparency of the election process and citizens' expression of
will."
The mission that has been staying in Kazakhstan since August 11
includes 68 representatives from eight CIS member-states, except for
Moldova and Azerbaijan.
"The mission includes diplomats, public figures, parliamentarians and
members of election commissions - experienced and responsible people. The
mission is authoritative and the monitoring will be serious," he said.
At the same time Lebedev expressed confidence that the parliamentary
elections "will be normal and will ensure citizens' right to vote" judging
by the preparation activities that are underway in Kazakhstan and "by high
responsibility demonstrated by the all branches of the republic's power in
the elections' organization."
"We have an opportunity in detail and freely to observe how the
preparation for the elections proceeds," Lebedev said.
"Several people (39 candidates for 16 seats) are competing for
mandates in Kazakhstan's senate, which proves that the Kazakh citizen has
the right of choice," he said.
Under the Central Asian republic's laws, the president appoints 15
senators, while 32 senators - two parliamentarians representing each of
Kazakhstan's 14 regions - are elected in indirect elections by maslihats
(local representative bodies).
Senators serve a term of six years. At the same time half of elected
senators are re-elected every three years.