The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Observer Mission recognizes the March 19 parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan as transparent and democratic, Grigory Logvinov, the organization's deputy secretary-general, said at a briefing on Monday.
"The mission states that the early elections of deputies of the Majilis and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan met the requirements of the national legislation of Kazakhstan and the international obligations undertaken by the country. The mission did not find any violations of the national legislation questioning the legitimacy of the elections. The mission recognizes the elections as transparent, credible, and democratic," he said.
The early parliamentary elections were based on a mixed system: 70% of the deputies were elected from party lists and 30% from single-mandate districts. According to three opinion polls released last night, the country's largest party, Amanat, leads the elections with more than 53%; only five or six of the seven parties registered in the country can pass the 5% threshold for a seat in the lower house.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Ken and Nyetta/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS