President Addresses First Joint Session of New Kazakh Parliament
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+5° / +1°C WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016 No 6 (96) www.astanatimes.com President Addresses First Exit Poll Says Nur Otan Joint Session of New Kazakh Wins Overwhelmingly as Parliament, Sets Priorities Mazhilis Retains Previous Makeup greens Birlik (Unity) grabbed mea- By Galiaskar Seitzhan ger 0.35 percent. This outcome is basically a virtual repetition of the ASTANA – President Nursultan previous parliamentary election in Nazarbayev-led Nur Otan Party January 2012, which ended with won 82 percent of the popular vote very similar results. in the parliamentary election in Turnout, however, proved strong- Kazakhstan, according to exit poll er this time setting a new record in results announced at midnight on the country’s electoral history and March 21. beating the result from four years The survey also showed the ruling ago when 75.45 percent of regis- party will be opposed by the same tered voters showed up at the polls. parties in the new convocation of Yulia Kuchinskaya, head of the President Nursultan Nazarbayev (at the speaking rostrum) addresses the first joint session of the Senate and the Mazhilis on March 25. the Mazhilis (the national legisla- Astana-based Institute of Democ- ture’s lower chamber) as it was the racy sociological survey company pro-business Ak zhol Democratic According to Kazakhstan’s Cen- niversary of independence with Nazarbayev recalled that the omy of Kazakhstan. Various social Party and leftist Communist Peo- tral Election Commission Chair- By Malika orazgaliyeva the newly elected parliament. 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s problems grow even in relatively ple’s Party again barely crossed the man (CEC) Kuandyk Turgankulov, Three parties and nine members independence coincided with a prosperous countries, he noted. seven-percent threshold and will regionally, the highest turnout was ASTANA – Following the elec- of the Assembly of the People of difficult period of the global crisis. Nazarbayev announced impor- again take small share from the 98 registered in the Almaty Oblast tion of Members of Mazhilis in the Kazakhstan (APK) won the recent The new composition of the parlia- tant tasks for the parliament. seats available for party nominees. with more than 90 percent of the March 20 nationwide vote, Kazakh elections. I congratulate all of us ment starts its work in particularly “Firstly, it is necessary to adopt Turnout reached 77.1 percent, the registered voters casting their bal- President Nursultan Nazarbayev with the victory in the elections difficult circumstances. There is a a unified tax and customs code, Central Election Commission an- lots during the day. Traditionally, addressed the first joint session of held in conditions of fair compe- multi-dimensional and multi-level which will ensure transparency in nounced earlier, less than two hours the least active is the city of Almaty the Senate and the Mazhilis of the tition, as well as the new deputies crisis across the world. Unpre- all financial procedures. after the polling stations closed in where turnout was only 34 percent, 6th convocation March 25. with the status of parliamentar- dictable world trade and financial the country’s west. while the capital city of Astana had “Kazakhstan meets the 25th an- ians,” he said. markets negatively affect the econ- Continued on Page A3 Yulia Kuchinskaya, head of the a slightly lower than average rate Astana-based Institute of Democ- of 74.65 percent of attendance. racy sociological survey company, Initial official results were ex- which held the survey at 750 poll- pected before March 21 at the CEC ing stations across a sample of press conference in Astana. Re- 75,000 people polled, announced sults of the elections to maslikhats central Election commission: the results during the press confer- (local councils) took several days ence held immediately at midnight. longer to confirm throughout the According to those results, the country. Ak zhol Democratic Party won Also on March 21, the Assem- Ruling Party Wins Landslide Again 7.22 percent of the popular vote bly of the People of Kazakhstan, a resulted in the following distribu- pollsters the night after the election, Also on March 21, the Assembly By Galiaskar Seitzhan and the communists gained 7.17 constitutional body designed to re- tion of a popular vote: meant that, apart from Nur Otan, of the People of Kazakhstan (APK) percent. The agrarian Auyl Peo- flect interests of the country’s eth- Nur Otan Party – 82.15 percent only right-of-the-centre, pro-busi- held a special session to choose its ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s govern- ple’s Democratic Patriotic Party nic community associations held ing party, led by President Nursul- Ak zhol Democratic Party – ness Ak zhol and the Communist representatives in the parliament. received 2.05 percent, while the its session and elected nine more tan Nazarbayev, won another mas- 7.18 percent People’s Party running on a tradi- A secret vote at the session result- Nationwide Social Democratic deputies and thus completed draft- sive victory while other parties from Communist People’s Party – tional Marxist Leninist platform ed in electing nine deputies rep- Party attracted votes of 1.21 per- ing the new composition of the the legislature’s previous roster also 7.14 percent succeeded in overcoming the seven- resenting various ethnic commu- cent and the newcomers, centrist Mazhilis of 107 members. retained their presence in Mazhi- Auyl People’s Democratic Patri- percent threshold and will again nity associations, which will now lis (lower house of Parliament), otic Party – 2 percent serve as a parliamentary opposition. join their counterparts from party according to the Central Election Nationwide Social Democratic The other three parties will need to ranks in the new convocation of Commission (CEC) results of the Party – 1.18 percent prove their viability in the five years Mazhilis. Kazakhstan’s Constitu- March 20 parliamentary election. Birlik Political Party – 0.29 per- before the next scheduled election. tion guarantees the APK nine seats 116 Passengers Survive According to data announced cent. Final CEC results were an- in the parliament’s lower house by CEC Chairman Kuandyk Tur- The results, which were close to nounced on March 22. The turn- to ensure the country’s ethnic di- gankulov at a press briefing in exit poll projections made by Asta- out was earlier announced to have versity is reflected in the national Controlled Crash Astana on March 21, the election na-based Institute of Democracy made 77.1 percent. legislature. Landing at Astana Nazarbayev casts Vote in March 20 Election, International Airport Admits Possibility of Redistribution of Power of the parliament of our country which our country needs now,” he ing carried out now. I think that the By Zhazira Dyussembekova with the awareness that all areas added. composition of the government was of our lives are being renewed. We During the briefing Nazarbayev chosen wisely. It employs educated, ASTANA – The President of are overcoming the crisis tenden- said that, according to the law, the young, multi-lingual professionals. I Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev cies, and it requires new, trained and parliament has full power to monitor think that we should allow them to took part in the elections to Mazhilis knowledgeable deputies [members the work of the government, includ- finish what they have undertaken,” (lower house of Kazakh parliament) of Mazhilis and maslikhats],” said ing control over budget spending. he added. and maslikhats (local legislatives) Nazarbayev. “Also, after the adoption of laws the One of the questions was related on March 20. He also answered He also noted that he used his con- parliament should ensure [oversight to the possible changes in country’s questions of local and foreign media stitutional right and performed his over] how these standards are being political system. The President re- immediately after he cast his vote at civic duty through the participation in implemented,” he stated. plied by saying that “the basic law a polling station in Astana. the elections, like millions of compa- Nazarbayev has mentioned cur- [the Constitution] was adopted by “Today’s elections to the Mazhi- triots across the vast Eurasian nation. rent executive bodies and their work the people in a referendum, and, if lis and local representative bodies “Today, starting from the early as well. necessary, changes will be made by are a very important milestone in morning Kazakh citizens are ac- “I want to remind that last year them. It can be about the distribu- the modern history of Kazakhstan. tively participating in the voting by the government has changed after tion of power between the President, More than 9 million citizens will coming to the polling stations with the presidential election. Its current parliament and government. These vote in the elections in nearly 9,900 their families and children. It sym- composition has developed anti- changes will depend on the situation polling stations in Kazakhstan and bolises the trust of our citizens to the crisis programmes and laws for the in the world and within the country. around the world. Preliminary elec- state, including the legislature. I am implementation of the five institu- If people want it, we will seriously tions are being held on the initiative sure we will choose the parliament, tional reforms, work on which is be- think about it.” Read the full story on Page B2. 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