Ban on Election Blocs Undermines Opposition
Monday, 13 August, 2007
Ban on Election Blocs Undermines Opposition
Monday, 13 August, 2007
On June 20, President Nursultan Nazarbaev signed a set of amendments to the election law, banning parties from forming election blocs. This happened on the day he dissolved the lower house of parliament or Majilis at its own request. An early election has been set for August 18.
The elections will be based on a new system, set out in the constitutional revisions passed on May 22, according to which 98 of the 107 members will be selected from party lists by proportional representation, with the remaining nine selected by the Assembly of Peoples of Kazakstan.
Most members of the Majilis say holding an early election is an essential part of implementing the constitutional amendments, which accord greater powers to an expanded parliament.
NBCentralAsia observers say parties would have had more of an opportunity to gain power if they had been allowed to enter into alliances. Without that option, their chances of success in the ballot are slim. With just two months to go, parties will find it difficult to campaign on their own and there will be little competition.
Political scientist Dosym Satpaev says that because the rules for launching political parties are already so strict, this ban will reduce the number of political alternatives in Kazakstan even further.
A party has to have at least 50,000 members and a branch in every region before it can gain official registration.
“For Kazakstan with a population of 15 million people, this is a very stringent requirement,” explained Satpaev. “Right from the moment of registration, the system is set up in such a way as to limit the chances of new political parties emerging, even if they might represent the interests of groups of voters.”
Many parties have joined forces with others and formed blocs over the past six months. Last week, the opposition National Social Democratic Party and Nagyz Ak Jol announced plans for a merger; in mid-May, a different Ak Jol and Adilet formed a bloc and the Patriots’ Party of Kazakstan and Auyl joined forces to become Birlik.
In January, four groups - Alash, Sootechestvennik, Atameken and the National Federation of Farmers founded a political alliance.
Human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis says that in light of the latest amendments, these alliances have become invalid, so the parties involved will have to merge fully – either by one existing party incorporating the rest, or by creating a completely new one, although waiting to register it would take more time.
“The ban on election blocs is one more step to rule out the unexpected,” said Zhovtis.
He adds that the political party culture in Kazakstan is not yet at a level where it can deal with the new system under which deputies can only be elected if they belong to a registered party.
“People are not accustomed to political parties yet, so 90 per cent of citizens have lost the right to stand for election to the Majilis, since from now on we have to be members of a party to be nominated,” he said.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
Запрет на предвыборные блоки ослабит конкурентов президентской партии
