13 September 2004 -- Three Kazakh opposition parties today accused authorities of manipulating the election process and threatened not to recognize the result of upcoming parliamentary polls.
The Communist, Democratic Choice, and Ak Zhol parties accused authorities in a statement of a "total intimidation" of employees at state organizations by threatening them with firing unless they vote for President Nursultan Nazarbaev's Otan party.
The three opposition parties also accused the government of barring their representatives from local election commissions, denying them access to media and preventing their meeting with voters.
The parties said if their observers record serious breaches during the elections and the vote-counting, they will not recognize the results of the 19 September poll.
Election officials denied any interference in the election process.
(AP/Reuters)
[For RFE/RL's full coverage, background and analysis of the Kazakh elections, see "Kazakhstan Votes 2004".]
The three opposition parties also accused the government of barring their representatives from local election commissions, denying them access to media and preventing their meeting with voters.
The parties said if their observers record serious breaches during the elections and the vote-counting, they will not recognize the results of the 19 September poll.
Election officials denied any interference in the election process.
(AP/Reuters)
[For RFE/RL's full coverage, background and analysis of the Kazakh elections, see "Kazakhstan Votes 2004".]