Kazakhstan takes step towards early election

ASTANA, June 19 (Reuters) Kazakhstan took a step towards early parliamentary elections today to enforce a set of reforms criticised by the opposition.

The move follows changes proposed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev as part of his plan to show the West his commitment to democracy and possibly allow more opposition politicians into the chamber. There is currently only one opposition deputy.

Although it gives additional powers to parliament, the wider package, parts of which have already been approved, enraged the opposition as it also allows Nazarbayev to stay in office for life and makes it more difficult for small parties to get into parliament.

At today's session, parliament, which needs to be re-elected for parliamentary reforms to come into force, asked Nazarbayev to dissolve it and set a date for a new ballot.

''We appeal to you... to take an uneasy but historically important decision for Kazakhstan's destiny, to dissolve the (lower house) and call an early parliamentary election,'' parliament said in a statement.

A former Soviet state on the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan has the world's eighth-largest proven reserves of oil, as well as big gas reserves. Europe, seeking to avoid an over-reliance on Russia, regards it as an important energy supplier.

Nazarbayev, in power since 1989, has been accused by the opposition, which has little clout in Kazakhstan, of tightening his grip on the vast nation of 15 million, Regular polls had not been due until 2009 in a nation yet to hold elections judged free and fair by foreign monitors. The assembly has already rubber-stamped most of the reform package.

Remaining reforms include raising the number of MPs and allowing parties to nominate officials to the central election commission, a change proposed by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

OPPOSITION The opposition condemned some elements of the package such as banning parties from forming electoral blocs and requiring all seats be filled from party lists, a move it says would secure the victory of the pro-Nazarbayev Nur-Otan party.

One deputy, Serik Abdrakhmanov, said the reform, on the contrary, was aimed at creating more opposition seats.

''I think the next parliament will not be as loyal as this one,'' he told Reuters. ''Because opposition parties should be able to get enough votes to pass the seven-percent barrier.

''We take into account the opinion of the global community.

That is why the president and the authorities want to allow more opposition politicians to play a role in ruling society.'' Oraz Zhandosov, co-head of the opposition Real Ak Zhol party, which plans to run in the election, said the reform plan, whatever its intention towards the opposition, was part of Nazarbayev's idea of improving Kazakhstan's image abroad.

''This is all obviously part of a big plan that dates back months ago,'' he said. ''One underlying reason could be that this gives Nazarbayev five consecutive years of no elections at all.'' (Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina in Almaty) REUTERS JK KP1625