Kazakhstan preparing for early parliament vote

    By Laman Sadigova
    Kazakh parliament MPs at a plenary session on January 13 approved an appeal to President Nursultan Nazarbayev to hold early parliamentary elections.
    The lawmakers explained the proposal a being due to “the aggravated economic situation in the country.”
    Under the national legislation, the president can decide to dissolve the parliament and plan new elections following consultations with the chairs of both parliamentary chambers and the prime minister.
    The elections will take place within two months after the decision is made. The term for the current parliament would normally end in the fall of 2016.
    “Do not expect significant changes in the Kazakh Parliament in the event of early elections,” researcher at the Center for International Studies in Barcelona (CIDOB), an expert on Central Asia Nicolas de Pedro says.
    The parliament consists of 107 members, 98 of which were elected during the early elections held on January 15, 2012.
    Then, the Nur Otan Party received 83 mandates, Ak Zhol 8 mandates and the Communist People’s Party - 7 mandates.
    Nine more seats were given to delegates from the People’s Assembly of Kazakhstan on January 16, 2012, Azernews.az reports.