By Marat Yermukanov (7/13/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Chinese leader placed oil and gas on the top of his shopping list in his talks with Nursultan Nazarbayev. Statistically, 70 joint enterprises operate in Kazakhstan, but what really attracts China’s interest is the energy resources, uranium mines and mineral deposits of its neighbor. In an interview to the Kazinform news agency prior to his trip to Kazakhstan, Hu Jintao termed energy cooperation as the cornerstone of the partnership.

By Alman Mir-Ismail (7/13/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The change to the election code came under pressure from the Council of Europe and the OSCE, which advised the Azerbaijani authorities to revise the document in order to improve the conditions for the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 6. Specifically, the domestic opposition and the international community has lobbied for changes to the provision that described the formation of the Central Election Commission and the local election commissions. Opposition parties claimed that the current election commissions were under the monopoly of the authorities with 2/3 of votes also going in favor of the ruling regime.

By Kakha Jibladze (6/29/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Just weeks after the parliament passed a law allowing the president to nominate both the leadership and all the members of the Central Election Commission (CEC), the government passed the first reading for amendments concerning mayoral elections in Tbilisi and elections to the City Hall. The new legislation calls for indirect elections of the Tbilisi mayor through the City Hall, and makes changes in the manner the members of City Hall are elected, thus making it easier for the ruling party, the National Movement, to obtain complete control of the Sakrabulo, or City Hall, the CEC, and the capital’s mayor. These changes indicate a shift toward further consolidating power in the hands of the ruling party and stifling opposition to their policies.