ASTANA – (Interfax-Kazakhstan) – The Kazakh foreign ministry received applications for accreditation from 314 observers from the CIS states representing Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, the Inter-parliamentary Assembly and the CIS Executive Committee, the mission said in a statement on Thursday.

The CIS mission is to monitor the election campaign in Kazakhstan. Earlier this week its long-term observers attended a meeting of the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan (CEC) addressing issues of preparations for the election.

In addition, the mission members were invited on Wednesday to Kokshetau, the administrative centre of Akmola region, for a workshop on the election organizational issues. The event addressed financial, logistical, organizational and information issues. They also familiarized themselves with the activity of the CEC regional commission and visited a number of ballot commissions.

The snap presidential elections are scheduled for April 26 this year. The CIS observation mission for monitoring the snap presidential elections in Kazakhstan is still being formed.

Meanwhile, Interfax-Kazakhstan reports that 48% of Kazakh residents surveyed by DEMOSCOPE at International Center for Journalism MediaNet are apprehensive of negative developments in the economy after the early presidential elections. “Almost half (48%) of Kazakh residents foresee negative developments in the economy after the elections. 28% of respondents fear of spikes in prices for goods and services, while the other 20% of devaluation of the national currency”, MediaNet said in a Monday press release.

Still, 38% of the population, on the contrary, have positive feelings. They expect lower prices (20%), strengthening of tenge (18%) and the overall economic and political stability.