Kazakhstan, Astana, March 11 / Trend A.Maratov /
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will send observers to the presidential elections in Kazakhstan to be held in April.
PACE president Mevlut Cavusoglu stated about this during a telephone conversation with Kazakh Secretary of State, Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported.
"The upcoming presidential elections are seen as an important step on the path of democracy. That is why the PACE made a decision to send a delegation to observe the elections," Cavusoglu said.
The PACE-Kazakhstan relations are based on the Cooperation Agreement dated 2004. A Kazakh parliamentary delegation takes part in the PACE sessions and meetings of its committees, and PACE representatives - in relevant activities in Kazakhstan.
The upcoming elections have attracted much international attention that is evidenced by the number of delegations directed to observe the elections, Saudabayev said.
The ODIHR / OSCE, the CIS Executive Committee, the CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly of EurAsEC Inter-parliamentary Assembly and CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, OIC, SCO and others have already announced their participation in the monitoring of the elections.
"Kazakhstan created all the conditions for their work and holding of the elections in full conformity with generally accepted international standards," he added.
The first stage of the presidential campaign - candidate registration was closed on March 2. Election campaign, which will end two days before the election day, was launched on March 3.
Four candidates passed registration at the Kazakh Central Election Commission (CEC) and will continue to struggle in the early presidential elections scheduled for April 3. The candidates are Nursultan Nazarbayev, Communist Zhambyl Ahmetbekov, and Leader of the Patriots Party, Senator Gani Kasimov and Tabiyat Ecological Union leader Mels Eleusizov.
Presidential candidates in Kazakhstan have already published their political platforms in official press.
Experts believe Nazarbayev will easily win the election. Nazarbayev, who is in power for over 20 years, is supported by about 90 percent of the population.