Elections in Kazakhstan are held on a national level to elect a President and the the Parliament, which is divided into two bodies, the Majilis (Assembly) and the Senate. Local elections for maslikhats (local representative bodies) are held every five years. [1]
Elections are administered by the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is a one party dominant state in the way that only supporters of the president can share power. Opposition political parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power due to corruption, resulting in voting irregularities as seen in the 2004 elections.
Presidential elections
Kazakhstan's president is elected by the people and serves for at most two five-year terms. Term limits were removed for the incumbent Nursultan Nazarbayev on 18 May 2007, when parliament also voted to reduce the term length from seven to five years.[2]
The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2012.
Latest election
Parliamentary elections
The legislature, known as the Parliament (Parlamenti), has two chambers.
The Assembly (Mazhilis) has 77 seats, elected for a four year term, 67 in single seat constituencies and 10 by proportional representation
The Senate has 47 members, 40 of whom are elected to six-year terms in double-seat constituencies by the local assemblies, half renewed every two years, and 7 presidential appointees. In addition, ex-presidents are ex-officio senators for life.
The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2011, however government leaders have hinted that early elections may take place in the fall of 2009, in preparation for Kazakhstan's takeover of the OSCE chairmanship in 2010.[3]
Latest Election
Past elections
See also
References
External links
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