Nazarbayev dissolves Kazakh parliament to hold early elections

Moscow, June 20 (UNI) Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev today dissolved the Majlis, the lower house of parliament, and set the date for early parliamentary elections on August 18, Interfax news agency reported.

Nazarbayev explained his decision by an address from a number of Majlis members he received yesterday, in which the parliamentarians said they did not want to obstruct the implementation of political reform in Kazakhstan.

''I have decided to dissolve the Majilis of parliament and have set August 18 as the date for elections,'' Nazarbayev informed the members of the presidential party, Nur-Otan.

The move followed the recent passing of new constitutional reforms, which included allowing Nazarbayev to remain President for life.

Under the current constitution of the oil-rich Central Asian country, a president can only serve two terms in a row.

Nazarbayev's allies have been pushing for early elections to enable the reforms to come into force.

Nazarbayev,66, has been in power since 1989. His current term ends in 2012. He led Kazakhstan to independence, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

UNI