Kazakh Fatherland, Civic, Communist parties leading in opinion polls
 
Text of report by Kazakh Khabar TV on 2nd October

With one week to go before the 10th October elections to
Kazakhstan's lower house of parliament, the Majlis, the
pro-presidential Fatherland Party is showing a strong lead in
public opinion polls, followed by the Civic Party, with the
Communist Party a close third, Khabar TV reported on 2nd
October. In a poll of 7,500 people from all over the country,
carried out on 28th October by the Kazakhstan Institute of
Comparative Social Research, Fatherland polled 23.6 per cent.
The Civic Party, a party of reformist-minded industrialists and
businessmen, polled 8.6 per cent and the Communists 8.1 per
cent. The following is the text of the report:

[Presenter] There is a little over a week to go till the
parliamentary elections [for the Majlis, lower house, scheduled
for 10th October]. During this period the candidates need to
manage to win over as many supporters as possible and the
voters need to finally determine their attitude to the
elections and sympathy for the candidates.

[Correspondent] Over two months, the TsSSI-Kazakhstan
Institute of Comparative Social Research has been conducting
opinion polls both on people's attitude to the elections and
their political sympathies. About 7,500 respondents from all
parts of the country have taken part in the latest opinion poll
conducted this week [beginning 26th September].

[Unidentified woman, sitting at a computer] According to
the latest opinion poll, over 80 per cent of those polled
answered that they would turn out on 10th October.

[Correspondent] This is the first time members of
parliament are to be elected through party lists and that is
why the people of Kazakhstan need to determine their attitude
to the 10 political parties [listed on ballot papers].

[Woman] In August, 33 per cent [of those polled] answered
that they did not know which party to vote for. In the poll
conducted on 20th September, 21 per cent and in the latest poll
[on 28th September] 24 per cent of those polled said they did
not yet know which party to vote for.

[Correspondent] According to the opinion polls, the
potential voters who are prepared to turn out are dynamically
changing their attitude to the parties.

[Woman] According to the polls conducted, according to
their ratings, these are the three leading parties now. The
Fatherland [Otan] Party is confidently in first place: in
August it polled 17 per cent, on 20th September its poll rating
was up to 26 per cent and then went down again, so that in the
latest poll conducted on 28th September, the Fatherland Party
polled 23.6 per cent. The Civic Party of Kazakhstan is in
second place: in August it polled 1.5 per cent, on 20th
September 9.2 per cent and on 28th September 8.6 per cent. And
finally, the Communist Party of Kazakhstan is among the three
leading parties, with a pretty stable rating: in August it was
9.4 per cent, on 20th September - 9.2 and on 28th September - 8
.1 per cent.

Source: Khabar TV, Almaty, in Russian 1500 gmt 02 Oct 99
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