Kazakh senate elections redistribute 80% of seats

Following Senate elections held in Kazakhstan on January 14, 80% of the seats in the body have been reshuffled. 

As Kazinform reported, the elections for the senate (the upper chamber of parliament) were conducted in all 17 oblasts of the country, as well as in the largest cities of the capital Astana, Almaty and Shymkent.

In total, 3,167 candidates of "Maslikhats" of all levels were included in electoral lists with 55 candidates having made it on the ballot list, the Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Committee (CEC) Konstantin Petrov stated.

According to him, the new Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan included three women and 17 men, while the average age of the elected is now at 53.8 years. He further emphasized that all senators hold Kazakh nationality.

Petrov also said that there were no violations of the law in the elections for the Senate on January 14 with CEC Chairman Nurlan Abdirov emphasizing that this pointed to the elections having been carried out fairly.