Text of report by the Kazakh news agency Interfax-Kazakhstan on
6th September

Astana, 6th September: The Kazakh Central Electoral Commission
(CEC) has started accrediting international observers to the
parliamentary elections in the republic, the CEC chairwoman,
Zagipa Baliyeva, told Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency on Monday
[6th September].

According to her, as at today "several international
observers" and OSCE representatives have already been
accredited. OSCE representatives have "started arriving in the
republic", she said.

The CEC chairwoman said OSCE observers are "divided into
long-term and short-term". In all, 30 long-term observers from
this organization will arrive in Kazakhstan before 15th
September and 200 short-term observers will come to Kazakhstan,
according to her, "in the run-up to the elections, about 7-10
days before [the elections]".

Moreover, Baliyeva said, accreditation requests from the
International Fund for Electoral Systems, to be registered as
international observers at the parliamentary elections had been
received. Observers from both Ukraine and Uzbekistan are also
expected. In all, according to the CEC, 500 international
observers are expected to attend the parliamentary elections.
The deadline for registering international observers "is
very flexible, right up to the voting day", the CEC chairwoman
noted.

According to Baliyeva, the CEC has created "all
conditions" for the work of the international observers. Both
the CEC's normative documents and the electoral legislation
have been translated into English, she said. Two seminars for
international observers are expected to be held to acquaint
them with the state system of Kazakhstan.

Elections to the Senate (upper chamber) will take place on
17th September and to the Majlis (lower chamber) and to
maslikhats at all levels (local representative bodies of power)
on 10th October this year [1999]
 
Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian
1115 gmt 06 Sep 99