January 15, 2012, elections to the Majilis – the lower chamber of Kazakh Parliament were held in Kazakhstan. As a result, the three political forces – the presidential party “Nur Otan”, as well as loyal to the government “Ak Jol” and the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan have the right to form a new composition of this legislative body.
At the same time, according to the OSCE and other international observers, there are several facts that call into question the democratic nature and transparency of the elections. First of all we are talking about the inadequacy of the election campaign which was held under a state of emergency in Zhanaozen (for more details, please read our previous issue), as well as significant restrictions on the rights of opposition parties which ran in the elections.
What are the conclusions drawn by the government of Kazakhstan from these evaluations? How can one explain the new wave of repression towards the independent media and civil society representatives which started immediately after the elections? Please read today’s issue in order to learn about this, as well as about the key facts, evaluations and nature of the election season in 2012.
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