Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. ·Aug. 2, 2002

THE WHOLE IS LESS THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS -- With the Nazarbayev law to create a one-party state, three pro-government parties are reportedly planning to merge. Those rumors lend credence to another -- that Nazarbayev is planning to call early parliamentary elections to further cement his control, according to the newspaper Vremya Almaty, as reported by the BBC. Combining the Civic Party of Kazakhstan, the Agrarian Party and the Fatherland (Otan) Party of Kazakhstan into a single super party and holding quick elections may be a way for Nazarbayev "to divert the public's attention from the real political problems inside the country," the paper suggested. http://news.bbc.co.uk/

MARCHING BACKWARD -- "Don't believe it," cautioned the Los Angeles Times, when Nursultan Nazarbayev begins arresting his own former government ministers for crimes like "illegal entrepreneurial activity" while working for him. Their real crime: criticizing the dictator. The dictator had no complaints until after the same men left his government and joined political movements advocating democracy, government integrity, human rights and a free market economy. The LATimes editorial said Kazakhstan keeps "marching back politically, jailing opposition leaders or forcing them into exile, guarding against independent media." The Times warns Nazarbayev is "hoping to leverage his support for the U.S. war against terrorism" to persuade Washington to "turn a blind eye" on his autocratic regime's repressive practices. http://www.latimes.com

NEW DISCOVERY: RICH GET RICHER, POOR GET POORER -- It comes as a surprise to no one, but black gold has produced a lot of yellow gold for the Nazarbayev clan. The oil and gas industry is booming in Kazakhstan, and as the minerals flow out of the earth, great sums of money are flowing into the pockets of the rulers, bypassing the country's population, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Western companies take the oil, in return paying money to whatever group controls the country at the time. The usually impoverished citizenry sees little of that wealth, which is typically used to ensure that no political dissent is allowed to take root," writes Jay Bookman, one of the paper's editors. He calls for the U.S. government to require American-based oil companies to "reveal how much they pay for drilling and extraction rights" in places like Kazakhstan. That would make it easier to tell how much goes to the government and "how much is being skimmed into private accounts." Swiss and American banking and justice officials are investigating such payoffs to Nazarbayev and some of his closest associates. http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/

CATCH 22, KAZAK STYLE -- The leading pro-democracy party in Kazakhstan called for a boycott of the country's "reactionary" new law that effectively banning opposition political parties. The Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan said the new law has a Catch 22. It sets unreasonable demands for parties seeking to register, and even if a group could meet those terms, the regime would still find a way to reject it. The law also outlaws membership in unregistered parties, and people would be forced to conceal their affiliation or risk jail. RPPK chairman Amirzhan Kosanov said his party's leadership and lawyers will continue searching for ways to continue its political activities legally. http://www.interfax-news.com/

For the full stories, see the web citations above or contact us at News@Kazakhstan21.org. The Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation promotes democracy and human rights in Kazakhstan through public affairs and educational programs in the United States and Europe. This material is distributed by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice,  Washington, D.C.