Text of report by the Kazakh news agency Interfax-Kazakhstan on
26th October

Almaty, 26th October: In Kazakhstan, a member of one of the
district electoral commissions of Kustanay (administrative
centre of Kustanay Region, north of the republic), Arman
Urazov, has publicly stated that he has left the electoral
commission.

"I deliberately left the electoral commission. I do not
want to be part of a sideshow," Urazov stressed in the
statement, which was handed to the Interfax-Kazakhstan agency
on Tuesday [26th October] by the National Press Club.
Urazov stresses that he is "still" unable to understand
"what was happening at other polling stations where there was a
delay in counting votes" during the first round of the
parliamentary elections which took place in the republic on
10th October. Urazov maintains that "there was order" at the
[polling] station where his commission worked and the results
of the voting were already known just three hours later.

Urazov wonders why the results of the voting were not
announced for a the whole week following the first round. He
knows "what can be done in all this time", that is: "just rig,
just`make up' the results which would suit the higher
echelons", Urazov stresses. He has "no doubt" "that the tone is
set from there (the higher echelons - Interfax-Kazakhstan)".
"I do not want to be a sheep in my own country. That is
why I have voluntarily left the the commission and I consider
this to be one of the most honourable deeds of my life," Urazov
stresses in his public statement.

As was reported earlier, on 10th and 24th October in
Kazakhstan the first and second rounds were held in the
election of of 77 deputies to the new Majlis (lower house) of
the republic's parliament.

Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian
1117 gmt 26 Oct 99
BBC Mon CAU 271099/** AJC/KA