Crisis Phase (December 1, 1991-present): Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev had been elected president without opposition on December 1, 1991, and Sergei Tereshchenko was appointed as prime minister. Kazakhstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on December 16, 1991. Parliamentary elections were held on March 7, 1994, and the People’s Union of Kazakhstan Unity (SNEK) won 33 out of 177 seats in the parliament (Kenges). The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA)/OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) established an election observation mission to monitor the parliamentary elections. Russia sent observers headed by Konstantin Zatulin to monitor the parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Tereshchenko was replaced as prime minister by Akezhan Magzhanuly Kazhageldin on October 12, 1994. The Constitutional Court invalidated the 1994 parliament elections on March 6, 1995. President Nazarbayev’s term in office was extended to December 2000 in a referendum held on April 29, 1995. A new constitution was approved in a referendum on August 30, 1995. Opposition political parties had boycotted the referendum. President Nazarbayev dismissed the Constitutional Court in October 1995. Parliamentary elections were held on December 9, 1995. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission to monitor the parliamentary elections on December 2-10, 1995. President Nazarbayev dismissed Prime Minister Kazhageldin on October 10, 1997, and appointed Nurlan Balgimbayev as prime minister on October 11, 1997. Anti-government demonstrations took place in Almaty on November 30, 1997. The Kazakhstan Central Elections Committee (CEC) announced on November 13, 1998 that former Prime Minister Kazhageldin would not be allowed to contest the upcoming presidential election, and the Supreme Court upheld the CEC ruling on November 24, 1998. On December 7, 1998, the OSCE urged the government to postpone the upcoming presidential election, but the government refused the request. Some 20,000 Kazak refugees were in Russia in December 1998. President Nazarbayev was re-elected with some 82 percent of the vote on January 10, 1999. The OSCE/ODIHR sent 15 individuals headed by Judy Thompson of Canada to assess the presidential election beginning on December 14, 1998. The OSCE/ODIHR assessment mission reported that the election was not free and fair (the group had decided not to officially monitor the election as a result of serious flaws in the pre-election process) on February 5, 1999. On September 11, 1999, Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the government for the detention of former Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin in Moscow on September 10, 1999. The government ordered Akezhan Kazhegeldin’s arrest on September 8, 1999, and disqualified him from running for parliament on September 9, 1999. Prime Minister Nurlan Balgimbayev resigned on October 1, 1999. Parliamentary elections were held on October 10 and October 24, 1999 for 77 seats in the lower chamber of parliament (Majlis). Parliament approved Qasymzhomart Toqaev as prime minister on October 12, 1999. Opposition political parties claimed election fraud. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission consisting of 20 long-term observers and 118 short-term observers headed by Linda Edgeworth of the US and Ihor Ostash of the Ukraine to monitor the parliamentary elections beginning on September 1, 1999. The OSCE/ODIHR mission issued its final report on the parliamentary elections on January 20, 2000. Three opposition political parties – the National Congress (NC), Azamat, and the Republican Party of Kazakhstan (RPK) – merged to form the United Democratic Party (UDP) in December 2001. Prime Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev resigned on January 28, 2002, and the parliament approved Imangali Tasmagambetov as prime minister on January 28, 2002. Mukhtar Ablyazov, leader of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DCK), was arrested by government police on March 27, 2002. Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov resigned on June 11, 2003. Parliamentary elections were held on September 19 and October 3, 2004, and the Fatherland (Otan) won 42 out of 77 seats in the Assembly. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly sent 424 observers to monitor the parliamentary elections. The OSCE/ODIHR sent 323 observers to monitor the parliamentary elections from August 9 to September 20, 2004. The Council of Europe (COE) Parliamentary Assembly sent 13 observers to monitor the parliamentary elections on September 14-20, 2004. President Nursultan Nazarbayez was re-elected with 91 percent of the vote on December 4, 2005. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) sent observers to monitor the presidential election from November 27 to December 5, 2005. The COE Parliamentary Assembly sent seven observers headed by Tadeusz Iwinski of Poland to monitor the presidential election on December 3-5, 2005. The OSCE/ODIHR sent 388 observers to monitor the presidential election from October 17 to December 5, 2005. The EU European Parliament sent 16 observers to monitor the presidential election. The CIS sent some 400 observers headed by Vladimir Rushailo of Russia to monitor the presidential election from November 20 to December 5, 2005.
[Sources: Associated Press (AP), October 10, 1999, October 12, 1999, October 17, 1999, June 11, 2003; Banks and Muller, 1998, 489-492; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), September 19, 2004; Council of Europe (COE) press release, November 30, 2005; Human Rights Watch (HRW) press release, September 11, 1999; Kazakhstan Today, November 18, 2005; Keesing’s Record of World Events, March 1994, October 1994, October 1997, January 1999; New York Times (NYT), September 21, 2004; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) newsletter, January 1996; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) press release, September 2, 1999, October 6, 1999, October 11, 1999, September 6, 2004, December 5, 2005; OSCE/ODIHR report, February 5, 1999, January 20, 2000; OSCE/ODIHR statement, January 11, 1999, September 19, 2004, December 5, 2005; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), October 10, 1997, December 4, 1997, December 7, 1998, January 8, 1999, January 12, 1999, October 11, 1999, October 26, 1999, January 28, 2002, March 28, 2002, March 29, 2002, December 5, 2005, March 6, 2006; Reuters, September 2, 1999, October 11, 1999, October 12, 1999, October 14, 1999, October 18, 1999, October 22, 1999.]