THE ROLE OF ELECTIONS IN THE POLITICAL LIFE OF AN INDEPENDENT STATE
Following the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan claims to be a democratic state; the people of Kazakhstan are the only source of state power; the people exercise state power directly and through their representatives. Elections are one of the forms of direct exercise of state power by the population of the Republic, the central element of the political system, observing the democratic nature of the state. It is the basis for all representative authorities at the republican and local levels, municipal bodies, the head of state, and the head of regional executive power in some democratic states. Elections are recognized as one of the most effective forms of democracy, allowing citizens to interfere in the state’s political life and participate in the management of state affairs. The article is devoted to disclosing the role of elections in the life of the state and society. To fulfill the corresponding task, the report reveals the importance of elections in the conditions of the democratic regime and examines its role in ensuring the legitimacy of the current state power as a whole and the function of elections. At the same time, for the institution of elections to fully comply with its purpose in the state’s political system, the article considers the guarantees of the implementation and the integrity of electoral rights and justifies the need for their improvement.