Almaty: opposition proclaims 'people's parliament'

Proponents are independent candidates who were not elected at recent polls for the national parliament. Tokaev regime accused of vote falsification. Many political activists have long been imprisoned. There is no difference between the "new" Kazakhstan and Nazarbaev's old one.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - On April 9, a rally was held at the Independence Monument in Republic Square in the center of the former southern capital Almaty, Kazakhstan's most populous city, to proclaim the birth of the "People's Parliament," a movement to oppose the regime of President Kasym-Žomart Tokaev.

The promoters of the initiative are a number of independent candidates who were not elected at the recent polls for the Mažilis, the Astana parliament, or the Maslikhaty, the regional assemblies, last March 19.

The demonstration had not been agreed upon with the authorities, who moreover did not intervene to disperse the hundred or so people who had gathered, some from other regions as well.

However, one of the main animators of the group, in Kazakh "Khalik Parlamenti," Rysbek Sarsenbajuly, explained that a lot of pressure had been brought to bear by the authorities to prevent the meeting, which was attended by far fewer people than they would have liked.

The police attended the demonstration without intervening, although reporters noted buses parked just to the side to charge demonstrators in case of disturbances. Also attending was the head of the Almaty municipality's Department of Social Policy, Ajdar Esenbekov, who had signed the denial of the assembly permit but would not comment on the circumstance.

Speakers at the meeting recalled the invitation made to Almaty Mayor Erbolat Dosaev and City Prosecutor Žandos Abdibaev to answer questions from those present. Sarsenbajuly, also an unelected candidate, said that "actually in the elections I had achieved a clean victory, but the Election Commission falsified the results; more than elections, it was a farce."

Protesters shouted "Old man, go away!" the slogan of recent years of protests against former President Nazarbaev, especially during the Almaty riots of January 2022. The mistakes of the "father of the fatherland," now formally ousted, are being attributed by inheritance to his dauphin, current President Tokaev.

Politician Mukhtar Tajžan intervened to remind that "since Tokaev came to power in 2019 he promised to build a just Kazakhstan, and what happened? He cheated us, as the last elections showed, the theft of votes is a great crime, and we will not stop fighting." Some activists from the Turkestan region also spoke of theft of voters' votes.

During the rally, throughout central Almaty, authorities blocked access to the Internet. At the meeting, participants recalled the names of people who are believed to be persecuted in the country for political reasons, such as Ermek Narymbaj, detained since Nazarbayev's time and still in prison under Tokaev, or Margulana Boranbaeva, Danata Namazbaeva and many others.

According to Tajžan, "there is no difference between the new and the old Kazakhstan." Another activist, Aružan Dujsebaeva, denounced election fraud, pointing out that the head of the Democratic Party not admitted to the elections, Žanbolat Mamaj, remains under investigation and is in danger of receiving a serious sentence, and "anyone else could end up like that."

At the end of the rally a decision was approved to declare the new parliament "illegitimate," and to call for new elections based on transparency and justice. After singing the national anthem, the conveners dispersed.

In other cities in Kazakhstan, there were a number of demonstrations, such as those organized by the party not admitted to the elections, "Alga, Kazakhstan!", all of which were unauthorized, but nevertheless tolerated, by the local authorities, who, however, put all the organizers of the rallies under observation.

Many independent observers also confirmed allegations of impropriety during the March 19 elections, both in voting and counting, but the authorities acknowledged the voting as legitimate, with few "insignificant violations."