Kazakhstan
Translator’s Note: The third BarCamp held in Almaty had a record number of participants — over one thousand registered on the official website, with around 50 participants representing Kyrgyzstan and multiple, simultaneous presentations throughout the weekend, reports neweurasia’s Sabina. Translated from Nuraika’s post (RUS).
Russian law-makers came up with an idea of recommending Central Asian countries not to wait until the situation goes under the control like in the Middle Eastern countries and be more open to democratic changes, various information agencies reported after a meeting closed to the public on April 13, 2011.
Russian Federation’s Duma’s (Parliament) committee on CIS affairs and compatriot relations has held the parliamentary hearing dedicated to the Central Asian region: strategic partnership and security problems. As reported by RBC, the participants have urged the countries in the region to enact democratic reforms and prevent the “North African syndrome,” Ferghana information agency reports.
At the same time “Parlamentskaya gazeta” informed that even though the whole hearing has been closed to the public, at least the first three statements have been made in presence of media.
“Russians are not indifferent as to the destiny of the people in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the light of historic development and co-existence with the people of Russia, which has to be the key factor in the country’s strategy in respect to these states.”
Deputy chair of Duma Nadezhda Gerasimova
U.S. State Department has released its 2010 Country Reports on Human Practices. As expected, Central Asian states did not make a significant progress in human rights practices. Vice versa, majority of our region’s countries turned their backs to what we call respect to human rights.
This report provides encyclopedic detail on human rights conditions in over 190 countries for 2010.
We will start with Uzbekistan because the situation with human rights and political freedoms in this coutnry was “granted” a huge paragraph in the Introduction to the Report. Along with Afghanistan and Pakistan, this Central Asian country, motherland for more than 28 million people, represented a South and Central Asia chapter. Read the full story »
Voters in Kazakhstan went to the polls on Sunday, April 3, 2011, to vote in Kazakhstan’s presidential election. The fact that the majority of those that voted cast their ballots overwhelmingly in favor of incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbaev is not in question, but the number of voters that actually participated in the election has raised doubts about a process that was marred by extensive and overt fraud.
Election Process
In its pre-election watch, the International Republican Institute (IRI) expressed concerns about the short timeframe candidates were given to prepare for the early election as well as the seemingly arbitrary registration process that resulted in the registration of only four candidates out of an initial field of 22. All three challengers openly supported incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbaev, one of whom announced on Election Day that he had voted for Nazarbaev rather than himself.
On Election Day, IRI did not send an observer group, but IRI staff who monitored the election observed numerous irregularities that indicate widespread fraud and an attempt to increase voter turnout figures. Read the full story »
On April 3, 2011, citizens of Kazakhstan went to the polls to vote for their next President.
While the Central Election Commission works hard on keeping President Nazarbayev in his seat he has been holding for more than twenty years, International Republican Institute released a report title “Kazakhstan Pre-Election Watch: April 2011 Presidential Election.”
IRI report says that elections will likely result in an additional five-year term for Nursultan Nazarbaev. “Since its independence, Kazakhstan has not held an election that has been deemed free and fair by the international community.”
neweurasia presents the report to its readers. Read the full story »
Translation of sadenova’s post (ENG)
Egypt held a referendum last Friday. For many citizens, it was their first experience having a say in the fate of their country and the constitution it would adopt (not counting fighting in the streets, of course).
The number of voters who turned up was so high that were neither enough ballot boxes nor ballots for everyone. An emergency run of 1.5 million ballots had to be printed.
Our quasi-referendum/quasi-elections are taking place in two weeks. As usual, we will have a low turnout. Presidential candidate Mels Yeleusizov says it be about 20%. The Central Election Committee gleefully promises it will definitely be over 50%.
I look at myself to verify these numbers. I’m 25 years old. In all my life, I have never voted in elections. I have simply never felt that this was important, that it changed anything, that I had to decide something for myself and accept the consequences. I felt neither guilty nor happy – just profoundly apathetic.
But now I have an image haunting me: Read the full story »
Translation of sabinareingold’s post (RUS)
Cable provider Ala TV has temporarily stopped broadcasting the independent channel K+. Ala TV’s management claims this is the temporary result of technical upgrades; however, K+ employees are not surprised that they “face problems yet again.”
When I telephoned Ala TV, director Vasilii Goncharov explained that the channel was unavailable due to technical improvements the company was imlementing at the moment. He also added that, in addition to K+, the channels Dom Kino (cinema) and Muzyka Pervogo (music) are also not being broadcast.
“We are currently restructuring our equipment. There is construction going on, we’re moving antennas. It’s not just K+ that’s not being broadcast – other channels, too,” he said.
A typical T-72. Photograph by Flickr user Jeffrey Jose (CC-usage).
I’ve been watching events in the Middle East with the same frolicking glee as what went down in Kyrgyzstan last year, but Libya has really caught my attention. The bazookas of Kyrgyz revolutionaries may have shot mostly tulips, but the Libyans on either side of the Gulf of Sirte packing real fire-power. What I’m wondering is how much of that has come from Kazakhstan.
Translation of Tynyk’s post (KAZ, RUS)
Experts see the Chinese economy as a danger to Kazakhstan. We are currently working with the West to build a new railroad; however, a Chinese railroad already passes through Kazakhstan, which could have an adverse impact on the plans.
Today, China is Kazakhstan’s number one strategic partner. In the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the World Trade Organization it is our strongest ally.
China’s economy focuses on quantity over quality as it mass-stamps millions upon millions of products every year. Read the full story »
Translation of Avicenna’s post (RUS)
With less than a month left until Kazakhstan’s snap presidential elections, speculation is rife, but it is also time to consider the technical side of the matter: what the law says about media coverage.
MediaLawCA.org, a website that specializes in Central Asian media law, has published a handbook for journalists titled “Elections and the Media,” which addresses such questions as: how to run an election campaign? What steps should media management take to prevent the violation of election laws? What happens when a media outlet is accused of violating election laws and threatened with legal action? Read the full story »
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