Kazakhstan
Opposition for Export
Election of Nursultan Nazarbayev's successor must take place
this year on December 4, insists opposition
Anatoly Weiskopf, Almaty
An official office of Kazakh opposition may be opened in the
nearest future in Bishkek.
The issue has already been discussed during meetings with Kyrgyz
political leaders and its acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, said Serik Medetbekov, a
leader of the Kazakh opposition foreign bureau, in an interview to Deutsche Welle. Serik
Medetbekov took an active part in the talks in question. Our correspondent Anatoly
Weiskopf reports the details.
According to Serik Medetbekov, the new Kyrgyz authorities welcomed the
initiative of the Kazakh democrats with understanding and promised them available
assistance. The ruling elite in Kazakhstan has adopted recently a tough policy towards
democratic forces, said Medetbekov explaining the wish of Kazakh opposition to open their
representative office in Bishkek. The Kazakh opposition is not happy with such development
of events, and its leaders have decided to turn for help to their Kyrgyz associates in the
democratic camp, stressed Serik Medetbekov. "If the authorities in the revolutionary
Kyrgyzstan agree to support the Kazakh opposition, this would enable Kazakh democratic
forces to more efficiently work with citizens in their own country," he said. The
point is that the Kyrgyz capital is just 240 kilometers away from the Kazakh largest city,
Almaty. The Kazakh-Kyrgyz border is even nearer, in 20 kilometers' distance from Bishkek.
The idea to open there an office of the united Kazakh opposition was actively supported by
Topchubek Turgunaliyev, the leader of Kyrgyz party Erkindik. In his interview to the
Deutshe Welle he suggested that democratic forces of all Central Asian states should open
their offices there:
- I would be happy if our Kazakh, Uzbek, and Tajik friends could come
here, in Kyrgyzstan, in the nearest future to fight from here! Why should they stay some
14,000 kilometers, say, in Washington?
He intends to pursuade the president that the idea is brilliant, right
after the election, said Topchubek Turgunaliyev. Furthermore, there is an urgent need now
to hold a forum of democratic forces to discuss questions of closer cooperation ahead of
presidential elections in Central Asian states, stressed Topchubek Turgunaliyev. According
to the Erkindik party leader, the only question today is where to hold such a conference
– in Bishkek or somewhere in Western Europe. Meanwhile, after a briefing in Astana by
Onalsyn Zhumabekov, the CEC chairman, active debate has resumed in Kazakhstan regarding
the date of the forthcoming presidential election. According to Zhumabekov, the central
election commission insists that in accordance with articles 94 and 41 of the Kazakh
Constitution, the vote has to take place on the first Sunday in December 2006. It's not
unlawful that Nursultan Nazarbayev would continue to perform his duties for extra eleven
months in addition to his original tenure in anticipation of the next election. However,
this is his personal point of view, as only MPs, Majilis deputies, could officially put an
end to this long-drawn debate, stressed Onalsyn Zumabekov. As for the democratic forces in
Kazakhstan, the question regarding the presidential election has long been solved for
them. The election should take place on December 4, 2005 and the setting up of an office
of Kazakh democratic forces in Bishkek is a step forward towards the election, emphasized
a leader of the Kazakh opposition foreign bureau Serik Medetbekov in his interview to
Deutsche Welle.
http://www.dw-world.de/
Deutsche Welle, June 19, 2005 |