Kazakhstan ‘missed chance’ for OSCE presidency

By Saffina Rana

Date: 23/09/04

EU MINISTERS are to block a bid by Kazakhstan for the presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe after Kazakh parliamentary elections on Sunday (19 September) fell short of OSCE and Council of Europe standards.

This view is backed by the European Commission. "They didn't pass the test. They missed the opportunity," one senior official told European Voice.

The Council of Ministers will issue a statement on the elections at the end of the week. EU ministers warned in July that the elections would be a test of Kazakhstan's fitness to head the OSCE. The Dutch presidency and Council secretariat are still discussing whether to consider the matter at ministerial level.

OSCE observers have declared the elections had "serious shortcomings". Robert Barry, head of the long-term observation mission deployed by the OSCE, explained: "Our observers reported confusion and inconsistency on election day, the lack of transparency in the work of the Central Election Commission throughout the process and last-minute decisions on parallel electronic and paper voting created confusion in many polling stations, during voting and counting."

The OSCE is also concerned about the discrepancy between the number of names on the paper and the new electronic voter lists, unauthorized people in polling stations during counting and widespread failure to post result protocols.

The Commission wants to see Kazakhstan move towards a more genuine democracy while EU firms are investing in Kazakhstan's oil potential. The Commission says it will "continue engaging Kazakhstan". This will involve benchmarking progress on fair elections, freedom of the press and independent judiciary. "In ten years' time, if there is political stability, if the right economic policy is in place, Kazakhstan should be producing three million barrels of oil per day," one official said. "Our main worry is that the windfall of oil will disappear into the hands of the ruling elite and the population will never see the benefits."

Despite the possibility of a dispute over the presidency of the OSCE, the organization sees potential for future cooperation on voting matters. It observed improvements on the registration of voters and domestic observers being given more legal rights, providing them with greater access to the process. It also notes that official voter education efforts were carried out professionally and effectively and no media outlets were shut down.

• Saffina Rana is a Brussels-based freelance journalist.

EU Ministers are to block a bid by Kazakhstan for the presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after Kazakh parliamentary elections on 19 September 2004 fell short of OSCE and Council of Europe standards.

OSCE: Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights: Elections: Kazakhstan http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/kazakhstan

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