Onalsyn Islamuly Zhumabekov ( kk, Оңалсын Исламұлы Жұмабеков, ''Oñalsyn Islamūly Jūmabekov''; born 1949) has served as the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission in the
Government of Kazakhstan since the
Majilis confirmed him on 13 April 2006. He replaced
Zagipa Baliyeva, who replaced him as the
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
.
[New Election Chief Pledges Fairness and Transparency]
Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada He previously served as the General Public Prosecutor.
Interfax
Justice Ministry
Zhumabekov announced that the government planned on instituting a moratorium on
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
on 16 July 2004. The moratorium would take effect on 1 January 2004. A new prison for convicts serving life terms is already being built on top of Khimpron factory, a former chemical weapons production facility, in
Pavlodar
Pavlodar ( ; ) is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan and the capital of Pavlodar Region. It is located 450 km northeast of the national capital Astana and 405 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk along the Irtysh River. , the cit ...
. The prison, which will cost 800 million tenge (
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
$5.5 million) to build, will house 500 prisoners. Zhumabekov told reporters, "Our state is currently seeking to resolve the issue of abolishing the death penalty, initially through the moratorium, and of the introduction of the life imprisonment. We have looked at the former building of Khimprom, and we think of building the facility on its foundation."
[Kazakhstan Edges Towards Abolishing Death Penalty]
Embassy of Kazakhstan to the United States and Canada
In a poll taken shortly after the government proposed the moratorium 69% of respondents opposed the moratorium and 31% supported it. There were 96 convicts on
death row in 1999, 71 in 2000, 65 in 2001, 51 in 2002, and 28 as of 1 June 2003. President Nazarbayev pardoned eight convicts in 1999, four in 2000 and 2001, and two in 2002. Death sentences were commuted to prison terms for 23 convicts in 1999, 18 in 2000, 14 in 2001, 5 in 2002, and 3 in 2003. First-degree murder is a capital punishment, but only 5% of convicted murderers are put to death.
[
]
Central Election Commission
Confirmation hearings
During his confirmation hearings he said he would "spare no efforts to make sure elections at all levels are conducted with maximum openness, transparency, fairness, and our laws are observed." The Majilis voted unanimously in favor of his nomination, 56-0.[ He thanked the Majilis and promised to do his best to "provide for herights and freedoms of each Kazakhstani citizen, whether a voter or a candidate." Justice Minister Baliyeva wished Zhumabekov "great successes, patience, and wisdom... With such a brilliant parliament, such a brilliant president, our brilliant country will be the first in the world, I am sure of this. Moreover, we have a brilliant and intelligent opposition. I hope it will continue this way." Adilbek Zhaksybekov, head of the presidential administration called Zhumabekov "an experienced and respected lawyer, a leader who did much for the last 2 years for creating legal groundwork for the state. At the high position of a Justice Minister, he proved to be a specialist of highest qualification, a talented administrator. ewent an uneasy path in his life and career from an investigator of district prosecution to the first deputy of General Public Prosecutor." Majilis parliamentarian Tito Syzdykov called him a "good lawyer, politically mature person, well-known in the society and a man of principle."][
Parliamentarian Amangeldy Aitaly questioned Zhumabekov regarding his role as the prosecutor in the Almaty ]oblast
An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdo ...
in December 1986 when the government put down anti-Communist demonstrations. Zhumabekov denied any involvement, saying that "interior affair bodies, prosecution of Kazakhstan and heprosecution of Almaty city" dealt with relevant criminal cases and that the prosecution for Almaty oblast had not taken on any cases in relation to the protests.[
]
Ban on demonstrations
The Parliament of Kazakhstan
The Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Парламенті, Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Parlamentı; rus, Парламент Республики Казахстан, r=Parliament Res ...
reversed a ban on demonstrations between election day and the release of election results on 24 November 2006. The ban, originally instated in March 2005 in response to the Tulip Revolution
The Tulip Revolution or First Kyrgyz Revolution (russian: Тюльпановая революция; ky, Жоогазын революциясы) led to President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev's fall from power. The revolution began after parlia ...
in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...
. Zhumabekov told Parliament that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's criticism of elections in Kazakhstan
Elections in Kazakhstan are held on a national level to elect a President and the Parliament, which is divided into two bodies, the Majilis (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House). Local elections for maslihats (local representative bodies) a ...
did not affect Parliament's decision to abolish the ban. Zhumabekov said Kazakhstan had the right to disagree with the OSCE.[Kazakhstan ends ban on postelection demonstrations]
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Kazakh presidential election, 2005
The Kazakhstan presidential election of 2005 was held on 4 December 2004. The incumbent President, Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
of Otan, defeated his main rival, Zharmakhan Tuyakbai of the For a Just Kazakhstan
For a Just Kazakhstan (also known as For a Fair Kazakhstan) (''Ädılettı Qazaqstan Üşin'') is a political bloc that was founded by the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, the Naghyz Ak Zhol and the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan as an opposition ...
bloc.[Monitors Differ On Kazakh Election]
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Zhumabekov announced the preliminary results as "6,694,000 voters or 91.01 percent" for Nazarbayev and "445,047 or 6.64 percent" for Zharmakhan Tuyakbai. According to Zhumabekov, "On the basis of the results of voter turnout and the first results of the vote count, we can conclude that the presidential election in the Republic of Kazakhstan is valid. That is why I have all grounds to congratulate the people of Kazakhstan on electing Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan."[
]
See also
* Government of Kazakhstan
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhumabekov, Onalsyn
1949 births
Living people
Zhumabekov, Onalysn