OSCE to publish report on Kazakhstan election campaign on January 5

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is going to publish its preliminary report on the course of the election campaign in Kazakhstan on January 5, Tengrinews.kz reports. Kazakhstan Foreign Minister met with the head of ODIHR/OSCE mission on observation of early parliamentary elections on January 4. “…the way central election bodies are operating, the situation in Zhanaozen and the country, the way the parties are registered or not registered and the access to the residents is provided,” head of ODIHR/OSCE mission Miklos Haraszti said about the report. “We will have the opinion the first day after the elections. This will be an opinion, not the report,” Haraszti said. The ODIHR/OSCE mission is expected to finish its mission on January 27. 56 observers are currently working in Kazakhstan. 220 short-term observers will arrive a week prior to the elections. The mission will produce 4 reports during the whole period. The final report will be ready 2-3 months after the elections. According to the latest information, Kazakhstan Central Election Commission accredited 326 international observers. The parliamentary elections are scheduled for January 15. Kazakhstan residents will be able to find out which polling station they are supposed to vote at via the Internet.