Zhumabekov "an experienced and respected lawyer, a leader who did much for the last 2 years for creating legal groundwork for the state. At the high position of a Justice Minister, he proved to be a specialist of highest qualification, a talented administrator. [He] went an uneasy path in his life and career from an investigator of district prosecution to the first deputy of General Public Prosecutor." Majilis parliamentarian Tito Syzdykov called him a "good lawyer, politically mature person, well-known in the society and a man of principle." Parliamentarian Amangeldy Aitaly questioned Zhumabekov regarding his role as the prosecutor in the Almaty oblast in December 1986 when the government put down anti-Communist demonstrations. Zhumabekov denied any involvement, saying that "interior affair bodies, prosecution of Kazakhstan and [the] prosecution of Almaty city" dealt with relevant criminal cases and that the prosecution for Almaty oblast had not taken on any cases in relation to the protests. Ban on demonstrations The Parliament of Kazakhstan reversed a ban on demonstrations between election day and the release of election results on 24 November 2006. The ban, originally instated in March 2005 in response to the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan. Zhumabekov told Parliament that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's criticism of elections in Kazakhstan did not affect Parliament's decision to abolish the ban. Zhumabekov said Kazakhstan had the right to disagree with the OSCE. Kazakh presidential election, 2005 The Kazakhstan presidential election of 2005 was held on 4 December 2004. The incumbent President, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Otan, defeated his main rival, Zharmakhan Tuyakbai of the For a Just Kazakhstan bloc. Zhumabekov announced the preliminary results as "6,694,000 voters or 91.01 percent" for Nazarbayev and "445,047 or 6.64 percent" for Zharmakhan Tuyakbai. According to Zhumabekov, "On the basis of the results of voter turnout and the first results of the vote count, we can conclude that the presidential election in the Republic of Kazakhstan is valid. That is why I have all grounds to congratulate the people of Kazakhstan on electing Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan." See also Government of Kazakhstan References 1949 births Living people Zhumabekov, Onalysn