Kazakhstan's CEC Approves Election Schedule
By Aiman Turebekova in Nation on 22 January 2016
ASTANA – The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kazakhstan has approved a schedule of major activities for preparing and holding early parliamentary elections.
According to the schedule, the nomination of candidates for deputies conforming to party lists begins Jan.20 and ends Feb. 8. Registration of the party lists begins Jan.20 and ends Feb.19 and is to be published in the media not later than Feb. 28.
Conducting of pre-election campaigns by candidates from the party lists starts from the end of the registration period and ends at midnight one day before the election, on March 18.
Accreditation of observers from foreign states and international organisations ends on March 14.
Precinct election commissions should be open on polling day at 6 a.m. local time. Voting is held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Results of the election should be provided no later than March 26 and should be published in the media no later than March 29.
Nomination of candidates for nine deputies of the Kazakh Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament), elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, begins on Feb. 20 and ends on Feb. 29. Registration of candidates from the assembly ends March 5. The election campaign begins March 6 and ends at midnight March 19.
The results of the election of deputies of the Mazhilis, elected by the assembly, should be announced no later than March 27 and be published no later than March 30.
Earlier, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree on dissolution of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the fifth convocation. Snap election of deputies of the Mazhilis to be elected based on the party lists was scheduled for March 20; Mazhilis deputies elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan on March 21.
The deputy corps of the Mazhilis is composed of 107 people. Ninety-eight deputies are elected from the party lists, nine deputies of the Mazhilis are delegated by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.
The previous election for the Mazhilis took place in January 2012. Seven parties took part in that election, however, only three of them were able to overcome the seven percent barrier: the ruling party Nur Otan (83 seats), Ak Zhol party (eight seats) and the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (seven seats).
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