Text of report by the Kazakh news agency Interfax-Kazakhstan on
17th September

Astana, 17th September: On Friday [17th September], elections
to the Senate (upper house) of the republic's parliament are
being held in Kazakhstan.

According to the Central Electoral Commission, 29
candidates are running for 16 seats in the Senate.
Under the legislation, senators in the republic are
elected at meetings of regional maslikhats (local
representative bodies of power).

The Senate is formed according to the principle of two
deputies (one of them - on a rotation basis) from each of the
16 administrative-territorial units of the republic (14 Regions
and two cities - Astana and Almaty). In addition, seven
senators are appointed by the head of state - the president.

The elections to the Majlis (lower house) of parliament
and maslikhats have been scheduled for 10th October. They will
be held by direct secret voting by the approximately 8
.5m-strong electorate in Kazakhstan's population of 15m.
It was reported earlier that, all in all, 635 candidates
are running for 77 seats in the Majlis. Seven thousand one
hundred and forty-six candidates have been registered for the
elections to the maslikhats.

Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian
0357 gmt 17 Sep 99
BBC Mon CAU 170999/** GR/KA