Striving for Oil
The presidential election campaign was officially launched in Kazakhstan yesterday, October 25, 2005. Of five nominees, only an opposition candidate Zharmakhan Tuyakbay could be viewed as a real competitor to defending President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.
As a whole, Zharmakhan Tuyakbay (former prosecutor general and parliament speaker in Kazakhstan) doesn’t doubt the success provided the authorities don’t manipulate the results. The situation is not that of impending revolution in Kazakhstan, Tuyakbay said, pointing out the authorities “may provoke the people’s confrontation,” if they “impudently ignore the will of the people.” Tuyakbay’s mate Bulat Abilov, well known businessman and co-chairman of Kazakhstan's Ak Zhol ( Bright Path) Party, thinks the same. “With fair election, our chances are very high,” Abilov said.
As to the election program, the key promise of the opposition is shifting from the presidential to parliamentary republic in Kazakhstan. The re-privatization outlook is always interesting. Tuyakbay vowed not to revise the contracts with foreign companies and TNK in case of success, but pledged to focus on some other enterprises, including those with ownership of the Nazarbayevs. Seeking control over the oil production industry in the country, Tuyakbay suggested splitting off “the state-run natural monopoly” from Kazmunaigaz, which would comprise “oil and gas pipelines, port terminals” and “which would complete construction of the main oil pipeline before late 2010.”
by
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 26, 2005
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