Kazakhstan Abolishes Death Penalty, Passes Other Reforms

The government of Kazakhstan, a nation in Central Asia, has abolished the death penalty, increased the number of parliament members, and approved the implementation of various other reforms. Also, the President of Kazakhstan has called for an early parliamentary election, which will take place in August.

According to a press release issued by Kazakstan's government and carried by the Kazakh news agency (among others), the parliament has voted to eliminate the death penalty, and increase the number of parliament members from 77 to 107. It also indicates that the election is to be held on August 18th, and multiple parties are expected to participate.

The press release indicates that parliament members are selected on the basis of "proportional representation", in that each party which receives seven percent or more of the vote receives one or more parliament seats depending upon the percentage. It also states that parties which have provided lists of participating candidates include the Nur Otan, People's Social Democratic Party, Ak Zhol, Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan, and others.

A similar press release was issued earlier in the month indicating that the presidential term length will be reduced from seven to five years in 2012, among other changes. Additional legislation involving the protection of human rights and other issues was passed as well. The press release also stated that the parliament had approved the current President of Kazakhstan to run for a third term in office, in addition to the two terms which he was previously limited to.

However, according a report issued by human rights organization Amnesty International during 2006, some of the independent media and opposition political parties complained of "harassment and intimidation" by Kazakh authorities, and the government ordered the closure of one of the opposition parties, although a leading member of the party was granted an early release from prison. It remains to be seen how much the situation will change following this new legislation.

According to the CIA World Factbook, the nation of Kazakhstan is almost four times larger than Texas, has a population of approximately 15.3 million, became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, and has a relatively low unemployment rate of 7.4 percent. Kazakhstan is bordered by Russia, China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Its closest trading partners include Russia, Germany, and China; it exports oil, machinery, metals, and various other products.

Sources:

1. Kazinform, http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=153645
2. Kazinform, http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=153459
3. Amnesty International, http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/kaz-summary-eng
4. CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kz.html