POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF KAZAKHSTAN

Republic of Kazakhstan – as per its 1995 Constitution (amended in 1998) is a democratic, secular, law-abiding and social state the supreme values of which are an individual, his life, rights and freedoms. Kazakhstan is the unitary state with the presidential form of power. The State power is uniform, and carried out on the basis of the Constitution and laws according to a principle of its division into legislative, executive and judicial branches and interaction between them with the use of the system of compromises and counter-balances.

Basic principles of the activity of Kazakhstan as a state are public consent and political stability, economic development for the sake of all people, Kazakhstani patriotism, resolution of the most important issues of the state and public life by democratic methods, including voting on a republican referendum or in Parliament.

Kazakhstan admits the ideological and political pluralism. The merger of public and state institutions, creation of the units of political parties in state structures is illegal, intervention of the state into the affairs of public associations, putting of functions of the state onto public associations, state financing of public associations is also not allowed.

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the head of the state, its supreme official, who determines the basic guidelines of the internal and foreign policy of the state and represents Kazakhstan inside the country and in the international relations.

On January 10, 1999 on an alternative basis Noursultan Nazarbayev was elected the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on a seven-year term, having received 79,78% of voices of voters (4 candidates for the Presidency).

The Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the supreme representative body of the Republic which carries out supreme legislative functions. It consists of two Chambers - the Senate (47 places) and Majilis (77 places from which 67 are filled on majority system and 10 - under party lists). The elections to the lower chamber (Majilis) are carried out by direct, secret and universal suffrage and in upper chamber (Senate) - indirect ballot. A legal term of the Senate is 6 years, Majilis - 5 years. Last parliamentary elections of October, 1999 for the first time were held on alternative party basis.

On September 19, 2004 the elections to the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan were carried out.

For the first time in the history of Kazakhstan in order to ensure the favorable conditions for the unbiased, public and just upcoming elections in compliance with the standard of the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe electronic voting system was applied.

More than 800 representatives from numerous international organizations, foreign states and nongovernmental organizations took part to observe the entire process, from the beginning of campaign to the end of vote count. Invitations were sent to the international, regional and local mass media all over the world in order to highlight the course of the Kazakhstan Parliamentary Elections.

Political parties were enabled to create the electoral coalitions, which had provided them with the conditions of political maneuvering during the elections for the effective use of their opportunities. 12 parties with the different political approaches had been registered. There are as follows: “Otan”, “Asar”, “Ak Zhol”, “Auyl”, “Rukhaniyat”, Kazakhstan Communist Party, Patriots of Kazakhstan Party, Democratic Choice Party, Civic Party, Kazakhstan Agrarian Party, Kazakhstan Democratic Party and Communist Peoples Party.

The Government carries out executive authority of the Republic of Kazakhstan, heads the system of executive structures. The Chief executive of the Republic is the Prime-Minister who heads the Government of the Republic which is responsible before the President and is accountable to the Parliament.

With a view of maintenance of the strict observance of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan the Constitutional Council is created. The supreme independent juridical body of the Republic on civil, criminal and economical cases is the Supreme Court.