The electoral system in Kazakhstan

Prepared by Ryspaeva Akyl and Dyusenbaev Akezhan

Cheked by Akhmetbekova Dana Zhaumbaikyzy

2014-2015

The electoral system in Kazakhstan

1. Election procedures and technology

2. Presidential elections

3. Latest election

4. Parliamentary elections

5. Latest election

6. Past elections

In the recent Kazakh elections, many Kazakh voters were offered a choice of voting on electronic voting machines or on paper ballots. At least some of the ballot boxes used in Kazakhstan are transparent in order to defend against ballot box stuffing. Each polling place was equipped with both a large ballot box and smaller mobile ballot boxes. The latter are designed to be carried, by poll-workers, to voters outside the polling place. This is an alternative to offering absentee ballots or proxy voting for voters with disabilities that prevent them from going to the polls.

Electronic voting in Kazakhstan is based on the AIS "Sailau" electronic voting system developed in Belarus and Kazakhstan. This system is best described as an indirect-recording electronic voting system, as opposed to the DRE voting machines that have been more widely studied. In this system, the touch-screen voting terminal in the voting booth serves as a ballot marking device, recording selections on a smart card. The voting terminal itself retains no record of the vote after the voter takes the smart card. The voter then takes the smart card containing the cast ballot record to the computer at the registration table that serves as the electronic ballot box where the permanent record of the vote is retained and tabulated.

On November 16, 2011, Kuandyk Turgankulov, head of the Kazakh Central Election Commission, said that use of the Sailau system would be discontinued because voters prefer paper, the political parties do not trust it, and the lack of funds required to update the system.

Kazakhstan's president is elected by the people and serves for at most two five-year terms. Term limits were removed for the incumbent Nursultan Nazarbayev on 18 May 2007, when parliament also voted to reduce the term length from seven to five years.

Early presidential elections were called by President Nazarbaev. They were held on 3 April 2011.

Latest election

Candidates and nominating parties	Votes	%
Nursultan Nazarbayev – Nur Otan	7,850,958	95.55
Ghani Qasymov – Patriots Party	159,036	1.94
Zhambyl Akhmetbekov – Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan	111,924	1.36
Mels Eleusizov – Tabighat	94,452	1.15

The legislature, known as the Parliament, has two chambers.

The Assembly (Mazhilis) has 107 seats, elected for a five-year term, 98 elected in general elections by proportional representation with 7% threshold and 9 elected by the Assembly of Kazakhstani Nation.

The Senate has 47 members, 40 of whom are elected to six-year terms in double-seat constituencies by the local assemblies, half renewed every two years, and 7 presidential appointees. In addition, ex-presidents are ex officio senators for life.

Latest election

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14