Elections in Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev awaits another term

Citizens of Kazakhstan turned out in large numbers today for the presidential elections, where the current president Nursultan Nazarbayev is expected to win.

The elections are being held at a time of economic crisis and increased concern over the events in neighboring countries, Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Nazarbayev has two opponents in the elections, but they are considered his supporters.

Out of several dozen people at a polling station in Almaty, only two people said they would not vote for Nazarbayev. Others mostly cited the need for stability, without uncertain changes, as a motive for voting for the current president.

Nazarbayev (74), in a comment published before the election, said that the election will give the elected president a mandate to lead the country in potentially difficult times.

"The upcoming elections will strengthen the stability of Kazakhstan. It remains the main condition for the sustainable development of our country and the completion of comprehensive tasks aimed at modernizing our economy and society," wrote Nazarbayev, who has been the head of Kazakhstan since 1991.

After two decades of economic growth in a country rich in oil, gas and minerals, Kazakhstan fell into a crisis due to the drop in the price of oil on the world market and a recession in its major trading partner, Russia, due to international sanctions.

The unrest in Ukraine that led to the ouster of a pro-Russian president last year has raised concerns in other former Soviet republics with authoritarian regimes, which also have large Russian minorities.

This week, at the Congress of the National Assembly, Nazarbayev emphasized that the authorities "will prevent every form of ethnic radicalism, regardless of where it appears."

"It is not an election but a re-election," said analyst Dosim Satpajev and added that the only interesting thing is that the election will probably be the last for 74-year-old Nazarbayev.

The parliament, whose president is also Nazarbayev, called early presidential elections due to the country's fragile economy.

Kazakhstan, Russia's ally in the free trade zone, has a bad economic situation due to the Russian economic crisis due to Western sanctions against that country and the drop in oil prices on the world market.