Kazakhstan signs law preventing “ordinary” Kazakhs from running for office

Kazakhstan signs law preventing “ordinary” Kazakhs from running for office
New Kazakh law dictates that Kazakh presidents can only run for two terms, with the exception of President Nursultan Nazarbayev who has been in power since 1989 / Wikimedia Commons
By bne IntelliNews July 12, 2017

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed into law on July 11 a measure allowing only Kazakh citizens with at least five years of experience at government posts to register as presidential candidates, RFE/RL reported on the same day.

The measure is meant to prevent “ordinary” people from running for presidential office, according to Kazakh authorities. However, taking into account the unspoken Kazakh traditionalist requirements of having family ties in order access upper level government positions, the measure likely seeks to further consolidate power for Kazakhstan’s ruling elites, some analysts believe.

The constitution requires that the presidential candidates must be Kazakhstan-born, at least 40-years-old, have resided in Kazakhstan for at least 15 years and speak fluent Kazakh.

The presidential term is five-years-long with only two consecutive terms per person allowed. However, Nazarbayev – who has ruled the country since 1989 and is the last of the remaining Soviet leaders in power in the Central Asian region – can be elected indefinitely according to the First President law.

None of the elections held in Kazakhstan were so far considered free or fair.

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