(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar, Askar Shokybayev (pictured), said that Kazakhsta will hold a presidential election on June 9. The Ambassador pointed out that the election is a most important moment for the people of Kazakhstan, not least because a head of state can take the country in a particular direction and set tasks and priorities for government that can have an impact on the country and beyond. It is also the first time in almost 30 years that a new President of the Republic of Kazakhstan will be elected.
Kazakhstan recognises Qatar as its important partner in the Gulf region in all aspects and the country is an attractive and business-friendly choice for Qatari investors.
The Ambassador said that the upcoming election is promising to be the most competitive and diverse in Kazakhstan's history as an independent nation. A total of seven candidates have been registered by the Central Election Commission. The list includes the first female candidate to run for President Daniya Yespayeva from the Ak Zhol party.
He said it would be a fair assessment to say that our wider region is heavily male-dominated when it comes to politics. However, over many years, Kazakhstan has taken concrete steps to improve gender equality and to promote women's role in business and politics.
We are now witnessing the fruits of this labour. In addition to Yespayeva, the Senate Chairwoman as well as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Education and Science are also female, as are approximately a quarter of the members of Parliament in Kazakhstan.
Another aspect of the election which experts have focused on is the competitiveness and fairness of the process. This is understandable, as according to some organisations and analysts, our region as a whole is still developing the necessary democratic institutions and mechanisms to ensure completely fair and open elections.
Nevertheless, Kazakhstan is once again demonstrating that it is going beyond the general expectations and foregone conclusions. As is well known, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev promised that the election will be transparent and to the highest expected standards.
The country can already offer concrete examples of the sincerity of this pledge. For example, presidential candidate Amirzhan Kossanov has been in opposition to the government for around two decades. He, and all candidates, are now openly campaigning in the hope of securing people's votes.
Kazakhstan has always welcomed observers and their constructive feedback during previous elections, and this time more than 1,000 international observers from ten international organisations, as well as foreign countries, are expected to be in Kazakhstan for the election.
Our government has officially invited the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Commonwealth of Independent States and numerous other organizations. Their missions are now deploying across the country.
The upcoming vote is not just important to Kazakhstan, but to our neighbors and partners all over the world. As is known, Kazakhstan has been actively participating in global affairs, including, most recently, the resolution of the Syrian conflict. From an economic perspective, our government has also been vigorously improving Kazakhstan's investment climate, making us the number one investment destination in the region.
This is especially relevant to Qatar as one of main partners of Kazakhstan in the Gulf region. The increased attention and assistance on development bilateral and multilaterally between the two countries is very important for their both side beneficial cooperation.
Both countries are looking forward to boost the trade and investment ties, which also include important sectors of economy like direct flights, tourism and travel. Doha and Nur-Sultan permanently and sustainably supporting each other's initiatives on the international arena, such as UN, OIC, CICA, ACD and others.
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