| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Jogorku Kenesh / Supreme Council |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
20 February 2000 |
| Timing and scope of renewal |
Elections were held for all seats in the Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
Legislative elections were held on 20 February 2000 in compliance with the Presidential Decree of November 1999. The elections were conducted on the basis of a new Election Code.
Voters were interested in candidates who had promised to improve the economy and reduce the unemployment, giving the falling industrial production and growing foreign debt and inflation.
The election was closely observed by international monitors and criticised by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for failing to meet international standards, as it was tainted by numerous violations, such as several opposition parties being prevented from fielding candidates. Indeed, out of the 27 registered parties in the country, only 11 were allowed to participate in the election, with most of the prominent opposition parties barred from the ballot on minor technicalities.
Some 600 candidates competed for the 105 seats in the two houses of Parliament, and for the first time, 15 seats in the Legislative Assembly were allotted to political parties. A second round of voting was held on 12 March 2000 for all but three of the 90 single-seat constituencies in both houses, as the candidates had failed to obtain the 50 per cent needed to win outright. Of the 11 parties that competed in the election, only six managed to reach the 5 per cent threshold. The Communist Party led with 27 per cent of the vote, winning five seats, and the pro-government Union of Democratic Forces came in second with 18 per cent, giving it 4 seats. The other parties that qualified were the Women's Democratic Party (2 seats), the Party of War Veterans in Afghanistan (2 seats), the Socialist Party Ata Meken (1 seat), and the Party of My Country (1 seat). The other candidates elected ran as independents.
After the second round of the election, several demonstration protests took place against the results and several demonstrators were arrested. On the eve of this second round, a leading opposition figure, Daniyar Usenov, was banned from taking part for failing to make a full declaration of assets.
On 25 April 2000, the People's Representatives Assembly held its first session and elected Mr Altay Borubaev as its Speaker. A few days before, the upper chamber, the Legislative Assembly, had elected Mr Abdygany M. Erkebaev as its President.
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| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 20 February 2000 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
2'505'763
1'613'855 (64.41%)
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Notes
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| Round no 1 | 12 March 2000 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
2'505'763
1'422'363 (56.76%)
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Notes
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| Distribution of votes |
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Round no 1
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Candidates |
Votes |
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% of votes |
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Round no 1
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Candidates |
Votes |
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% of votes |
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| Distribution of seats |
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Round no 1
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| Political Group |
Total of seats
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Round no 1
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Total of seats
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| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
44
1
2.22%
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| Distribution of seats according to age |
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| Distribution of seats according to profession |
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| Comments |
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