Kazakh president calls early parliamentary elections

Kazakh president calls early parliamentary elections

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Wednesday dissolved the Majilis (lower chamber of parliament) and called early parliamentary elections in January.

According to the presidential order published on official press with immediate effect, the election from party lists will be held on Jan. 15. Other deputies will be chosen Jan. 16 by a non-partisan consultative body loyal to Nazarbayev.

Parliamentary elections had originally been scheduled for August 2012. However, early elections were widely expected after Nazarbayev, 71, won another five-year term in April.

The initiative to dissolve parliament emerged on Nov. 10, when 53 deputies in the 107-member lower house of parliament approved a motion to call on the president to call an early vote.

The petition was seen as a move to change the one-party situation and admit opposition presence, as reports had said amendments to the electoral law will allow the entry of another party into parliament.

Addressing a meeting with backers of the petition, Nazarbayev has said that Kazakhstan's parliament was in need of renewal to continue the country's democratic development.

Under Kazakhstan's laws, Nazarbayev has the right to dissolve the Majilis after consultations with the speakers of both chambers of the parliament and the prime minister.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

English.news.cn   2011-11-16 21:28:18 FeedbackPrintRSS
ASTANA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua)