ASTANA, November 10 - The CIS mission in Astana opens on Thursday a center in the Kazakh capital to monitor the presidential elections in Kazakhstan, scheduled for December 4, Tass learnt from CIS executive secretary Vladimir Rushailo who arrived in Astana on Wednesday evening.

"The observer mission from the CIS is formed on the basis of proposals by member states of the Commonwealth," Rushailo said. "Observers are skilled specialists. They represent executive and legislative bodies of their countries, election commissions, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Belarus-Russia Union and the CIS executive committee." According to the executive secretary, "it is too early to speak" of the quantitative composition of the observer mission from the CIS.

Rushailo noted that CIS observers would perform their functions in all areas and regional centers of the republic on Election Day. It is also planned to monitor polling stations in other countries of the Commonwealth.

"The CIS observer mission conducts monitoring of elections on the principles of political neutrality, impartiality and non-interference in the election process and domestic affairs of a state," Rushailo emphasized. He also stated that CIS observers do not give preference to any candidates. "Our task is to give an appraisal of whether the election campaign and the voting are in conformity with a country?s election legislation and international standards," he stressed.

According to Kazakh Central Election Commission, accreditation was issued to 44 observers from the OSCE, 31 observers from international organizations, 15 from the mission of the international independent non-commercial organization on monitoring elections in CIS countries (CIS-EMO) as well as 68 representatives from individual foreign states.

The accreditation of observers will be ended on November 28.
sections: Politics, World News