More than 14 Percent Voter Turnout Recorded So Far in Kazakhstan’s Parliamentary Election
ASTANA – Voter turnout in today’s parliamentary election has reached 14.21 percent as of 10 a.m. local Astana time, Central Election Commission (CEC) member Shavkat Otemisov announced at a press briefing on March 19. Kazakhstan is holding elections to the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, and maslikhats, local representative bodies, today. As of 10…
Kazakh Activist Calls for Support for Nuclear Test Victims at ICAN Forum in Oslo
ASTANA – Kazakh activist and director of the Astana-based Center for International Security and Policy Alimzhan Akhmetov called for support for victims of nuclear tests as he took part in the ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) Act On It Forum in Oslo on March 9-10. ICAN, headquartered in Geneva, is a global civil…
Here’s What You Need to Know About Parliamentary Elections in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – As Kazakhstan gears up for the upcoming Mazhilis election on March 19, eyes are on the country’s changing political landscape, although some of these changes are not new to Kazakhstan. The Astana Times looks back at all the previous parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan since the country’s independence in 1991 to see how the…
Pre-Election Debates Gear Up One Week until Parliamentary Election in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – In the run-up to the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan on March 19, the country’s seven political parties are engaging in a series of pre-election debates to showcase their policies and ideas to the public, with the latest airing on KTK TV channel on March 10. All seven political parties in Kazakhstan eyeing seats…
I am Alive Animal Shelter Beacon of Hope for Stray Dogs and Cats in Astana
ASTANA – In the heart of Astana, there is an animal shelter that has been working tirelessly for the past four years to save and care for stray animals. Founded by Yelizaveta Lipisey, the shelter, called I am Alive, has become a safe haven for animals who have nowhere else to go. A Sunday afternoon…
Voter Turnout in Kazakhstan’s Upcoming Parliamentary Election Projected at 59 Percent, According to Opinion Poll
ASTANA – The Strategy Center for Social and Political Studies expects a voter turnout of 59 percent in the upcoming parliamentary election on March 19, based on a survey the organization conducted in February. The center, accredited by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to conduct public opinion polls, surveyed 1,600 respondents in all regions and…
Motor Rallies, Environmental Actions, Pop Concert: Campaigning Gains Momentum in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Whether commuting to the office or university or walking around the city, one might get lost between colorful posters and billboards in Kazakh cities broadcasting political messages, two weeks into electoral campaigning. While it is the responsibility of each citizen to make an informed decision about their votes, The Astana Times presents a…
Kazakhstan Sees Unprecedented Political Engagement One Month Before Election
ASTANA – One month before the parliamentary election in Kazakhstan, political engagement has reached an unprecedented level, the result of changes the nation has implemented over the past year and a half. The past two years have been increasingly eventful for Kazakhstan’s political life, with constitutional changes and elections following one after another. The nation…
Kazakhstan’s CEC Wraps Up Registration of Candidates for Parliamentary Election, Expects High Competition
ASTANA – Two hundred and eighty-one candidates from party lists and 435 candidates from single-mandate districts will run in the March 19 elections to the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, as the country’s Central Election Commission (CEC) closed the registration of candidates on Feb. 18. Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis consists of 98 deputies, with…
Spanish Ambassador to Kazakhstan Sees Ties Growing between Two Countries
ASTANA – Bilateral ties between Kazakhstan and Spain are growing as they crossed a 30-year milestone last year. The ambition that Kazakhstan and Spain demonstrate, the dynamism of Spanish companies, and the reforms undertaken by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev give high hopes the next 30 years are going to be just as fruitful as the previous…
Our Top Priority is to Support Kazakhstan towards More Sustainable, Equitable Future for All, Says UN Resident Coordinator
ASTANA – Twenty-seven agencies, 380 staff members, and a firm commitment to ensure every woman, man, girl, and boy are not left behind on a developmental journey. That is how one can describe the work of the United Nations (UN) office in Kazakhstan, which celebrates 30 years on Feb. 16. Michaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator…
Kazakhstan to Send 50 Tons of Humanitarian Aid to Syria
ASTANA – Kazakhstan will send 50 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria, which has been reeling from the consequences of a devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, announced the Kazakh government on Feb. 10. Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar chaired a meeting of the Commission on International Humanitarian Aid…
Closer Look at Kazakh Political Parties as They Prepare to Campaign
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) closed the period to nominate the candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections on Feb. 8. Here is a look (in alphabetical order) at what seven registered political parties in Kazakhstan came up with for their voters. As March 19 comes closer, the chances for new faces to gain…
Kazakhstan’s Seven Political Parties Nominate 283 Candidates for Upcoming Mazhilis Elections
ASTANA – Seven political parties in Kazakhstan submitted their party lists with a total of 283 candidates to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to participate in the March 19 elections to the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, as the nomination period ended on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m., announced CEC Deputy Chair…
Harvard University’s Davis Center Hosts Panel Discussion to Explore Central Asia’s Water, Energy and Climate Change Risks
ASTANA – Central Asia needs a shared vision on addressing climate change, energy and water risks, and one that balances each of the region’s country’s interests. That is one of the key takeaways of a panel session with regional experts hosted by Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies on Jan. 30. Experts…
President Tokayev Visits Zhambyl Region, Emphasizes Its Enormous, Yet Untapped Agricultural Potential
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Zhambyl Region in southern Kazakhstan on Feb. 3, touring the region’s agricultural facilities and highlighting its enormous yet untapped potential, according to the presidential press service. One of the first sites in his program was the Aulie-Ata Phoenix poultry farm, located in the Myrzatai village of the Baizak…
Young Kazakh Activist Becomes Finalist in PACEY Competition by Helping Educate Children Affected by Semei Nuclear Fallout
ASTANA – Helping children became a mission for Aruzhan Audanbekova, whose Ertis Mektebi School project aimed at providing mainstream education to children from the East Kazakhstan Region affected by nuclear testing made it to the final of the Peace, Nuclear Abolition and Climate Engaged Youth (PACEY) Awards competition on Jan. 21. Audanbekova, a native of…
Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission Begins Accreditation of International Observers for Upcoming Parliamentary Elections
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) accredited 25 international observers for the upcoming elections to the Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, and the maslikhats, local representative bodies, said CEC Secretary Mukhtar Yerman at a Feb. 2 CEC meeting in Astana. “As of today, 25 observers from one state and two international…
Astana Gets New Development Priorities Outlined by President Tokayev
ASTANA – Plans for the development of Kazakhstan’s capital city Astana were in the spotlight of a Jan. 30 meeting in Akorda with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, ministers, Astana akim (mayor) Zhenis Kassymbek and other senior officials in charge of the capital. Astana, the capital city that received back its better known name after a switch…
State Counselor Karin: Kazakhstan Set to Continue Political Reforms Through 2023
ASTANA – The political agenda of 2023 in Kazakhstan will be determined by the vector of political reforms set forward by the country’s leadership, according to State Counselor Erlan Karin. “First of all, it concerns the continuation of the practical implementation of the results of the national referendum to update the Constitution of the country,”…
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina Pushes Hard at Australian Open Final, Yields to Aryna Sabalenka
ASTANA – Reigning Wimbledon champion and Kazakhstan’s top seed Elena Rybakina yielded to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 in the women’s singles final on Jan. 28 at Australian Open 2023. The game at the Rod Laver Arena was intense for both world’s 22nd seed Elena Rybakina and fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka. Rybakina, 23,…
Maulen Ashimbayev Voted as Kazakhstan’s Senate Chairperson
ASTANA – Maulen Ashimbayev, 51, was unanimously voted by the deputies of the Senate on Jan. 26 as Kazakhstan’s Senate Chairperson after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed his candidacy for the position. After addressing the newly elected and appointed deputies of the upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, President Tokayev put forward Ashimbayev’s candidacy for the…
Kazakhstan Allocates $312 Million in 2023 to Modernize Rural Areas
ASTANA – Kazakhstan will spend 143 billion tenge (US$311.5 million) in 2023 to implement 1,500 projects in 736 villages across the country as part of the Auyl – El Besigi (the Village is the Birthplace of a Nation) project, according to the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy, which is in charge of the project. The…
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Appoints Ten New Senate Deputies
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed ten new deputies to the Senate, an upper house of the Kazakh Parliament on Jan. 24, reported the Akorda press service. The President’s right to appoint ten deputies to the Senate, which consists of 50 deputies, is enshrined in the country’s Constitution. Five of them are recommended by…
What You Need to Know About Upcoming Election in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission compiled a list of eligible voters for the Mazhilis and maslikhat election, including 11,976,406 citizens with the active right to vote, reported the CEC press service. The largest number of voters – 1,177,507 – is registered in the Turkistan Region, the smallest – 138,277 – in the Ulytau Region,”…
