ident;
percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 81.7%, Serikbolsyn
ABDILDIN 12.1%, Gani KASYMOV 4.7%, Engels GABBASSOV 1.5%
note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that
expanded his presidential powers: only he can initiate
constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government,
dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint
administrative heads of regions and cities

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7 senators
are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected,
two from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and the city
of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note - formerly composed of 47
seats) and the Majilis (77 seats; 10 out of the 77 Majilis members
are elected from the winning party's lists; members are popularly
elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to
be held December 2005); Majilis - last held 19 September and 3
October 2004 (next to be held September 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11,
ASAR (All Together) 4, Ak Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1,
independent 18; note - most independent candidates are affiliated
with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party [Romin MADINOV]; Ak Zhol Party "Bright Path" [Bulat
ABILOV, Uraz ZHANDOSOV, Lyudmila ZHULANOVA, Alikhan BAYMENOV,
Altynbek SARSENBAYEV, co-chairs]; ASAR "All Together" [Dariga
NAZARBAYEVA, chairwoman]; AUL "Village" [Gani KALIYEV]; Civic Party
[Azat PERUASHEV, first secretary]; Communist Party or KPK
[Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Communist People's Party of
Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; Democratic Party of Kazakhstan
[Maksut NARIKBAEV]; Otan "Fatherland" [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV, acting
chairman]; Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat [Altynshash
JAGANOVA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA];
Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; Kazakhstan
International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, e