Elections are a major part of the Kazakhstan government’s political system. Both the country’s president and members of the lower house of Parliament are elected by achieving a majority of the votes in a public election.
Although elections are a major part of the government in Kazakhstan, they are not without controversy. Here’s a look at some of the recent controversies surrounding the election of government officials in Kazakhstan.
The Presidential Election
When Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev was up for reelection in 2011, he won with an overwhelming majority of the vote. Estimates show that he received 95% of the vote.
This large majority of the votes has caused many citizens and political leaders to question the election process and even demand for a switch to a more transparent electoral system. It is believed that with a transparent system, voting would not be so secretive and it would lower the chance to cause corruption within the political system.
The Lower Parliament Election
The last election for seats within the lower Parliament was held in 2007 and it was not without controversy. The top political party won every seat in the lower house at the time. Election results showed that 88% of the votes went to the Nur-Otan party.
Such a high amount of the votes for one political party has caused political opponents to question whether the elections were properly conducted, or whether it was just a matter of the leaders of the opposition party not being strong enough to gain the public’s vote.
