Legislative elections were held in Kazakhstan on 15 January 2012. The result was a victory for the Nur Otan party, which won 83 of the 98 seats in the Mäjilis. However, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) stated that the election "did not meet fundamental principles of democratic elections."[1] The elections marked the first time that the second-placed party would gain parliamentary seats irrespective of whether it cleared the 7% electoral threshold.[2] Due to the Zhanaozen massacre and the resulting state of emergency there, the election was not planned to be held in Zhanaozen.[3] However, this decision was overturned on 10 January 2012.[4]
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