Kazakh President Accused Of Ineffectiveness By Party Colleague

President Nazarbaev (file photo) (epa) March 6, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- A Kazakh parliamentarian has accused President Nursultan Nazarbaev of losing control over his closest aides following the murder of an opposition leader, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reported.

Serik Abdrakhmanov, a member of Nazarbaev's own party, Otan, said today in an open letter that further violence could follow the killing if the president did not clamp down on corruption in his ranks.

Abdrakhmanov also said there was no reason to rely on the Interior Ministry for a fair investigation, echoing allegations from the opposition.

Altynbek Sarsenbaev, the co-chairman of the Nagyz Ak Zhol (True Bright Path) party, was found shot dead outside Almaty on February 13 along with his driver and bodyguard. The Senate's administrative chief, Yerzhan Utembayev, and five security officers were arrested for the killings.

(with additional material from Reuters)