Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2002: Kazakhstan

摘要

The Constitution of Kazakhstan concentrates power in the presidency. President Nursultan Nazarbayev was the dominant political figure. The Constitution permits the President to control the legislature and judiciary, as well as regional and local governments; changes or amendments to the Constitution required the President's consent. President Nazarbayev was elected to a 7-year term in a 1999 election that fell far short of international standards. The law allows the President to maintain certain policy prerogatives and a seat on the Security Council after he leaves office. The Constitution limits Parliament's powers by precluding it from appropriating state money or lowering taxes without executive branch approval. However, Members of Parliament (M.P.s) had the right to introduce legislation, and some bills introduced by M.P.s have become laws. Parliamentary elections in 1999 were an improvement over the presidential election but fell short of the country's commitments as a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In 2001 experimental local akim (county-level leader) elections were held in some rural areas. Parliamentary by-elections in December were marked by serious irregularities; preliminary results of the elections conflicted with independent exit polling. The judiciary remained under the control of the President and the executive branch.