Kazakhstan joined a number of international acts on human rights, specifically international covenants on civil and political rights, on economic, social and cultural rights, conventions on combating human trafficking and on slavery.

International expert potential, including the OSCE has been purposefully used during discussions over the key issues. That is why these issues have become the subject of discussions in the OSCE, including the Ministerial Council in Madrid in 2007. Our country has demonstrated consistency in implementation of the national priorities in building modern and competitive Kazakhstan, taking into account its own historical experience and the best international standards.

As a result, significant package of amendments to the laws on elections, political parties and the media has been prepared. These draft laws are aimed at ensuring further progress in developing the political system of Kazakhstan, including civil society and its institutions.

In accordance with amendments to the election law, a multiparty parliament will be ensured by legislation for the first time in Kazakhstan's political history. All candidates and political parties will be provided with equal access to the media and equal conditions for holding meetings with voters during the electoral period. Additional guarantees for the work of election commissions' members are secured. Registration procedures for observers, including international ones, are simplified.

The role of political parties in the life of the society and the state is increased as a result of reforming the election legislation. Amendments to the political parties' law envisage changes to the registration procedures towards their further liberalization. Quantitative requirements to the number of signatures for a political party's registration are lowered. The deadline for submitting registration documents after a constituent conference is extended. It is crucially important that the registration process will not depend upon a subjective interpretation by a particular official but becomes a strictly fixed provision of law.

Amendments to the media-related legislation significantly broaden journalists' rights and ensure the media self-regulation. The list of cases leading to re-registration of printed outlets and information agencies is reduced. Registration for broadcasting media is abolished. Mandatory provision for a journalist to obtain consent to the use of audio or video recording during an interview is cancelled.

The main aim of these amendments is further democratization of the legal field of the media activities, stimulation of their development and strengthening of the information space of the country in accordance with the best international practice. Thus the legal and public status of the media as an important political institution of the democratic system is secured. Topicality of these innovations is confirmed by the positive evaluations of the OSCE Special Representative on the freedom of the media.

In general these amendments allow us to implement directives of President Nursultan Nazarbayev voiced in his annual Address to the people of Kazakhstan and incorporated in the state programme “Path to Europe”. They also correspond to the statements of the Head of State at the annual 17^th Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the 2^nd Session of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. These measures undertaken by the Government will facilitate the formation of a modern civil society with a high political culture and its active involvement in political processes.

Throughout our history, the leadership of the country, in addition to the economic transformations consistently carries out political reforms in line with Kazakhstan's strategic interests, which take proper account of the specifics of the national development. Kazakhstan demonstrates one of the most effective models of transition to market economy and democracy among the transit countries that is acknowledged by the international community. Recent steps in improving legislation show that a steady democratic vector of the development of political system has been consolidated on the background of preservation of internal stability.