Kazakhstan Diplomats Discussed the Upcoming Parliamentary Elections with Tajik Experts
March 3, 2023
The diplomatic missions of Kazakhstan abroad are actively preparing for the early elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the capital of Tajikistan the Ambassador of Kazakhstan Valikhan Turekhanov has held a briefing for mass-media representatives and experts on electoral campaign carried out in our country.
In his speech the Kazakh diplomat emphasized the importance of the forthcoming elections and told about the origins and peculiarities of the current election campaign.
"Our country succeeded not only to recover from shocks, caused by events of tragic January, but also to strengthen the bases of our statehood through political and social-economic changes. The constitutional amendments, which were introduced after the nationwide referendum in June 2022, laid the foundation for new democratic foundations, including a more powerful parliament, limited presidential powers, simplified procedures for registering new political parties, direct elections of akims and many other important innovations," Valikhan Turekhanov said.
According to him, the participation of more political associations in a competitive election campaign will further strengthen the multiparty system by increasing pluralism and the influence of the opposition.
"This is the benchmark that our country has been striving to achieve over the past few years. It is noteworthy that the threshold for parties to enter the Mazhilis has been lowered from seven to five percent, which makes it easier for opposition parties to enter Parliament and is also expected to play an important role in making the government more accountable," the ambassador said.
Responding to the journalists' questions, Valikhan Turekhanov disclosed details of the mixed proportional-majoritarian model of the upcoming elections, the legal provision to set a 30% quota for women, youth and people with special needs in distribution of mandates to the Parliament by party lists, which is aimed at better representation of all groups in Kazakhstan in the Parliament. Also, those present were informed about the practice of interaction between the CEC and international observers.
"I would like to emphasize that the upcoming elections will be another important milestone in the development of Kazakhstan's democracy. Many were unsure whether our country would recover from the turmoil of January 2022. And yet we managed to overcome these difficulties. In addition to demonstrating our resilience and stability, we have transformed our country through significant political and socio-economic initiatives," Valikhan Turekhanov concluded.
In his speech the Kazakh diplomat emphasized the importance of the forthcoming elections and told about the origins and peculiarities of the current election campaign.
"Our country succeeded not only to recover from shocks, caused by events of tragic January, but also to strengthen the bases of our statehood through political and social-economic changes. The constitutional amendments, which were introduced after the nationwide referendum in June 2022, laid the foundation for new democratic foundations, including a more powerful parliament, limited presidential powers, simplified procedures for registering new political parties, direct elections of akims and many other important innovations," Valikhan Turekhanov said.
According to him, the participation of more political associations in a competitive election campaign will further strengthen the multiparty system by increasing pluralism and the influence of the opposition.
"This is the benchmark that our country has been striving to achieve over the past few years. It is noteworthy that the threshold for parties to enter the Mazhilis has been lowered from seven to five percent, which makes it easier for opposition parties to enter Parliament and is also expected to play an important role in making the government more accountable," the ambassador said.
Responding to the journalists' questions, Valikhan Turekhanov disclosed details of the mixed proportional-majoritarian model of the upcoming elections, the legal provision to set a 30% quota for women, youth and people with special needs in distribution of mandates to the Parliament by party lists, which is aimed at better representation of all groups in Kazakhstan in the Parliament. Also, those present were informed about the practice of interaction between the CEC and international observers.
"I would like to emphasize that the upcoming elections will be another important milestone in the development of Kazakhstan's democracy. Many were unsure whether our country would recover from the turmoil of January 2022. And yet we managed to overcome these difficulties. In addition to demonstrating our resilience and stability, we have transformed our country through significant political and socio-economic initiatives," Valikhan Turekhanov concluded.
Source: www.inform.kz
