…AND AUTHORITIES REACT.

Former Prime Minister Kazhegeldin of Kazakhstan is already being hounded on grounds of both corruption and participation in unsanctioned meetings. Last week, state television broadcast countless accusations against Kazhegeldin, naming the ex-prime minister’s substantial foreign bank accounts. He is also accused of participating in the unsanctioned October 3 meeting of “For Fair Elections.” According to Kazhegeldin, these accusations are the latest in a long line of attempts to hinder his candidacy. Kazhegeldin’s book, “Kazakhstan: The Right To Choose,” openly critical of present economic and political policies, ceased periodically to be printed, and is now permitted only in the Russian language. The two newspapers, “Twenty-First Century” and “Dat,” both partly financed by Kazhegeldin, are now forced to print in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, and Kazhegeldin is barred from registering his own newspaper, “Respublika.” Meanwhile, at the end of last week, pro-government parties and organized groups placed mounting pressure on Nazarbaev to announce his candidacy, which he is expected to do shortly.–SC

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