Kazakh president dissolves parliament

ASTANA, June 20 (Reuters) Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev dissolved parliament today and triggered an early election on August 18.

The new chamber will theoretically have more powers but critics say proposed reforms introduced by Nazarbayev are likely to increase his control.

''I have decided to dissolve parliament and announce new elections,'' Nazarbayev, in power since 1989, said in a speech to his Nur-Otan party, which has a majority in parliament.

The oil-producing Central Asian nation has never held an election judged free and fair. It had been due to hold a parliamentary election in 2009.

Nazarbayev has introduced constitutional reforms that will give the new, enlarged parliament more powers but also lift any limit on his own term in office. He has presented the reforms as a move towards greater democracy.

A group of parliamentarians who support him had asked him to call an early election in order to implement the constitutional reforms affecting parliament more quickly.

The opposition holds only one seat in the assembly but may stand to gain some in the election.

It has criticised elements of the reforms, such as a ban on forming electoral blocs and a move to allow Nazarbayev to become the official head of the Nur-Otan party.

The reforms also include allowing parties to nominate officials to the central election commission, a change proposed by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the continent's main democracy watchdog.

Reuters AK GC1648