The preparations for the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan are in full swing. On January 10, Kazakhstan will elect the members of the ”Mazhilis”, the lower-house of the Kazakh Parliament.
Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to India Yerlan Alimbayev hosted a briefing on the upcoming elections to the Majilis (Lower Chamber) of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan for representatives of Indian political, academic, and business circles, as well as international media.
The event was held in a “hybrid” format with the participation of more than thirty guests both in-person and online.
The briefing participants were informed about the history of the political development of independent Kazakhstan, the democratic reforms carried out in the country, as well as the preparations for the elections.
The guests were provided with up-to-date information on the main stages of the elections, the electoral process and legislation of Kazakhstan, the parties participating in the elections, as well as measures to ensure the health and safety of all participants in the electoral process in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ambassador also stressed that the upcoming elections are also important for all our international partners, especially strategic ones.
“These elections are important not only for Kazakhstan, but also for our strategic partners around the world, in particular for India. Because political stability is a guarantee of its commitment to the obligations it has assumed,” Alimbayev said.
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan stressed that Kazakhstan is actively implementing a large-scale program of political reforms, one of the important tasks of which is to hold elections in accordance with the highest international standards. For this purpose, in particular, the threshold for registration of political parties was lowered from 40 thousand to 20 thousand people, the legislation was amended to ensure a 30% quota for women and young people in the lists of candidates from political parties. The legislation ensuring freedom of assembly has also undergone liberal reforms.
In the end, the Ambassador answered several questions from journalists and representatives of the academic community during the “Q&A” session. Most of them were on the development of bilateral relations during the Covid-19 pandemic.