Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
on 26 April 2015 to elect the
President of Kazakhstan
The president of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Президенті, Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Prezidentı; russian: Президент Республики Казахстан, Prezident Respu ...
. This was the fifth presidential election held and second without having any formal opposition candidates. With the highest-ever nationwide turnout of 95.2%, the result was a victory for long-term incumbent President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
of
Nur Otan
Amanat (), previously known as Nur Otan () until 2022, is a big tent political party in Kazakhstan. Being the largest to date, it has been the ruling party of the country from 1999, with a membership claiming to be of over 762,000 people in 2007. ...
who received 97.8% of the vote, the largest since
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, thus winning a fifth term in office while his closest challenger, Turgyn Syzdyqov, received only 1.6% of the votes.
Having been originally scheduled for 2016, the election was held a year earlier after numerous calls and support from the
Assembly of People of Kazakhstan
The Assembly of People of Kazakhstan (; ) is a national political body in Kazakhstan consisting of delegates of the Regional Assemblies of the People. Its task is to represent the various ethnic groups that make up the Central Asian state at nati ...
, the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, as well as political parties for President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
to support a
snap election
A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled.
Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system (the dissolution of parliament) is called to capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or to ...
in order to properly continue the country's development and to avoid for Mazhilis elections to be held simultaneously which were also set for the following year. After the
Constitutional Council Constitutional Council might refer to:
* Constitutional Council (Chad)
* Constitutional Council (France)
* Constitutional Council (Ivory Coast)
* Constitutional Council (Sri Lanka)
* Constitutional Council (Cambodia)
* Constitutional Council (Kaz ...
ruling on 25 February 2015, which stated that the president has the authority to call for snap elections, Nazarbayev that same day signed a decree setting the election date for 26 April.
Nominations of candidates began following the established election day. Of all registered political parties, only two took a decision to participate in the elections by nominating candidates of which were incumbent president
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
from the
Nur Otan
Amanat (), previously known as Nur Otan () until 2022, is a big tent political party in Kazakhstan. Being the largest to date, it has been the ruling party of the country from 1999, with a membership claiming to be of over 762,000 people in 2007. ...
Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan
The People's Party of Kazakhstan (abbr. QHP),, NPK originally the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (QKHP),, KNPK is a left-wing political party in Kazakhstan, currently led by Ermūhamet Ertısbaev. The Secretaries of the Central Committ ...
while the rest of pro-government parties all endorsed Nazarbayev except for the opposition
Nationwide Social Democratic Party
The Nationwide Social Democratic Party ( kk, Жалпы ұлттық социал-демократиялық партия, Jalpyūlttyq Sotsial-Demokratialyq Partia, JSDP), sometimes translated as the All-National Social Democratic Party, is a po ...
. Numerous self-nominees announced their presidential bids in which most of them later withdrew or rejected by the
Central Election Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
except for
Äbilgazy Qusaiynov
Äbilgazy Qaliaqparuly Qusaiynov (, ''Äbılğazy Qaliaqparūly Qūsaiynov,'' ; born 6 February 1952) is a Kazakh politician who served as a Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan from 2013 to 2017. He was the Äkim of Karaganda ...
, the incumbent chairman of the
Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan
The Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan (FTUK) is a national trade union center in Kazakhstan. It has a membership of 1.5 million, and is the successor organization to the official trade unions of the communist era.
FTUK is affiliated with ...
, leaving the race to be contested by just three candidates, the least of all Kazakhstan's elections.
Campaigning took place in midst of an economic crisis following the
2010s oil glut
The 2010s oil glut is a significant surplus of crude oil that started in 2014–2015 and accelerated in 2016, with multiple causes. They include general oversupply as unconventional US and Canadian tight oil (shale oil) production reached crit ...
and the devaluation of the Russian ruble, which severely impacted the Kazakh economy as the solution to the issues during the elections regarding the country's economy were raised, along with the continued Nazarbayev's reforms, social, environmental and industrial safety problems. Despite different proposals and idea from candidates, most of the platforms made by Nazarbayev were the most visible and known to the public.
On 29 April 2015, President Nazarbayev was inaugurated at the Palace of Independence in
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
after winning re-election bid, to which the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
reported "serious procedural deficiencies and irregularities" and that voters were offered limited choices. From there, Nazarbayev pledged to implement his proposed five institutional reforms. He continued serving his fifth and final term before eventually resigning in 2019.
Background
Incumbent President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
was elected for a fourth term in the
2011 Kazakh presidential election
Early presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on 3 April 2011, having been originally scheduled for 2012. The elections were called after a plan for holding a referendum to increase president term limits to 2020 was rejected by the Constit ...
, winning over 95% of the vote. From there, he promised in continuing economic, political and social reforms. During that time, the Kazakh government had received criticism from the opposition in the country and internationally due to Nur Otan's
single-party
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
control of the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
which it gained in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. Minor parties made their eventual return to the lower-house Mazhilis in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
although they were considered to be loyal to the authorities. Complaints of human rights abuses continued in the country as the Kazakh government was accused on cracking and shutting down independent media outlets and opposition groups that mostly covered the
Zhanaozen massacre
The Zhanaozen massacre took place in Kazakhstan's western Mangystau Region over the weekend of 16–17 December 2011. At least 14 protestors were killed by police in the oil town of Zhanaozen as they clashed with police on the country's Independe ...
where the police opened fire on striking oil workers, which resulted in deaths of 12 people.
Despite the poor record of human rights and lack of improvements in democracy, Kazakhstan continued in having a huge economic growth thanks to its stabilized oil and gas industry. In December 2012, during an address to the nation, Nazarbayev unveiled the Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy economic plan which aimed to bring the country into the top 30 most developed nations by 2050. In 2013, Kazakhstan reached its highest annual GDP record with $236.6 billion, making it the biggest in
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
and placing it 45th in the world. However, the economic growth became short-lived after on 11 February 2014, when the Kazakh tenge lost its value by 19%, worse since 2009 after
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
faced its
ruble
The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union.
, currencies named ''rub ...
currency value loss. Due to
international sanctions
International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect in ...
that were imposed on Russia, Kazakhstan's main trading partner, after the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, trade between those two countries decreased by 24.6%. This sparked unusual public protests in the country which resulted in Nazarbayev's dismissal of the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
led by Prime Minister
Serik Akhmetov
Serik Nyghmetuly Akhmetov ( kk, Серік Нығметұлы Ахметов, translit=Serık Nyğmetūly Ahmetov, ; born 25 June 1958) was a Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 2012 to 2014. He served as the Minister of Defense from April to Octobe ...
and the reappointment of
Karim Massimov
Karim Qazhymqanuly Massimov ( kk, Кәрім Қажымқанұлы Мәсімов, ; born 15 June 1965)oil price crash which began in September 2014, the Kazakh government resorted in cutting budget spending as the price of oil amounted to 25% of Kazakhstan's GDP. In an attempt to bolster economic growth, Nazarbayev in his presidential address on 11 November 2014 announced an economic stimulus plan named
Nurly Zhol
Nurly Zhol () is a US$9 billion domestic economic stimulus plan to develop and modernize roads, railways, ports, IT infrastructure, and education and civil services in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Nurly Zhol plan was announced by Kazakhstan's Pr ...
, which would allocate $3 billion from the reserve fund a year to fund the program's various parts.
Calls for snap election
On 14 February 2015, the
Assembly of People of Kazakhstan
The Assembly of People of Kazakhstan (; ) is a national political body in Kazakhstan consisting of delegates of the Regional Assemblies of the People. Its task is to represent the various ethnic groups that make up the Central Asian state at nati ...
(QHA) unanimously voted on the initiative to move presidential elections forward from 2016 to 2015. One motivation was that a
snap election
A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled.
Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system (the dissolution of parliament) is called to capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or to ...
would help the development of the country; another one was that it is a disadvantage to hold both presidential and parliamentary elections in the same year, telling:
"The President of the country,
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
, must be given a new mandate of national trust for the successful passage of the country in the period of global trials. At a new and difficult stage of global imbalances, it is necessary to trust Elbasy N. A. Nazarbayev so that the country does not stray from its strategic course and continues its path towards large-scale modernization of the country and advancement into the 30 most powerful states in the world."
On 16 February, the decision made by QHA was supported by the ruling party
Nur Otan
Amanat (), previously known as Nur Otan () until 2022, is a big tent political party in Kazakhstan. Being the largest to date, it has been the ruling party of the country from 1999, with a membership claiming to be of over 762,000 people in 2007. ...
, as well as the parliamentary faction of the party in Mazhilis, led by Nazarbayev's daughter Dariga. Two other minor parties in the Mazhilis:
Ak Zhol Democratic Party
The Aq Jol Democratic Party ( kz, Ақ жол Демократиялық Партиясы, translit=Aq Jol Demokratialyq Partiasy, russian: Демократическая партия Казахстана «Ак жол», Demokraticheskaya partiya ...
(AJ) and
Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan
The People's Party of Kazakhstan (abbr. QHP),, NPK originally the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (QKHP),, KNPK is a left-wing political party in Kazakhstan, currently led by Ermūhamet Ertısbaev. The Secretaries of the Central Committ ...
(QKHP), also supported the idea of a snap presidential elections with QKHP secretary
Aiqyn Qongyrov
Aiqyn Oiratuly Qongyrov (; born 28 November 1972) is a Kazakh politician who is serving as a member of the Mazhilis since 2012. He was the chairman of the People's Party of Kazakhstan (QHP) from 11 November 2020 before being succeeded by Ermūhame ...
announcing that the party would nominate its own candidate. Former 2011 presidential candidate
Mels Eleusizov
Mels Hamzauly Eleusizov (, ''Mels Hamzaūly Eleusızov''; born 20 March 1950) is a Kazakh political activist and ecologist who is the Chairman of Tabigat Ecological Union. He campaigned in many of Kazakhstan's elections, mostly notably in the 2005 ...
and the head of the Attan-Kazakhstan movement Amantai Asylbek both expressed their desire to participate in the elections. The opposition
Nationwide Social Democratic Party
The Nationwide Social Democratic Party ( kk, Жалпы ұлттық социал-демократиялық партия, Jalpyūlttyq Sotsial-Demokratialyq Partia, JSDP), sometimes translated as the All-National Social Democratic Party, is a po ...
announced that the party would make a decision on the participation and nomination of candidates only after Nazarbayev announces the decision on his intention to resign early and announces snap elections.
On 18 February, the Mazhilis unanimously asked President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
to move the elections. That same day, the Kazakhstan Alliance of Bloggers called for an abandonment of the elections and instead, proposed to hold a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
on the extension of the presidential term until 2022 in order to save money and "avoid serious reputational risks".
The following day on 19 February, the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
took upon decision on whether to allow snap elections. In the first vote, 41 senators supported the proposal and with only one voting against it. However, after discussing a number of other issues on the agenda, Senate Chair
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev ( kk, Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев, Qasym-Jomart Kemelūly Toqaev ; born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat who is currently serving as the President of Kazakhstan since 12 J ...
asked members to re-vote again on the decision, saying "something I didn't like there. It's technical. Let's re-vote. Let's re-vote. Someone voted very inattentively. It's just for the purity of the experiment, as they say." According to the results of the second vote, the senators unanimously supported the snap elections, with the first vote being explained as a technical error. Following the revote, Tokayev appealed to the
Constitutional Council Constitutional Council might refer to:
* Constitutional Council (Chad)
* Constitutional Council (France)
* Constitutional Council (Ivory Coast)
* Constitutional Council (Sri Lanka)
* Constitutional Council (Cambodia)
* Constitutional Council (Kaz ...
with a request to give an official interpretation of the constitutional clause, which regulates the appointment of snap presidential elections.
On 24 February, the
Constitutional Council Constitutional Council might refer to:
* Constitutional Council (Chad)
* Constitutional Council (France)
* Constitutional Council (Ivory Coast)
* Constitutional Council (Sri Lanka)
* Constitutional Council (Cambodia)
* Constitutional Council (Kaz ...
adopted a normative resolution of the Constitution which following said:
"It should be understood in such a way that the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan has the exclusive right to single-handedly call early presidential elections. The Constitution of the Republic does not provide for any conditions and restrictions when the Head of State makes a decision on the appointment of early presidential elections, when deciding on the appointment of such elections, the rule provided for in Paragraph 3 of Article 41 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the inadmissibility of coincidence in terms of the election of the President of Kazakhstan with elections of the new composition of the Parliament of the Republic."
That same day, President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
signed the decree calling for snap elections, scheduling them for 26 April 2015. He announced it during a live broadcast on the
Khabar TV
The Khabar Agency (KA) ( kk, "Хабар" Агенттігі, translit="Xabar" Agenttıgı; russian: Агентство «Хабар») is a major mass media, media outlet in Kazakhstan. It was established in 1995, known originally as the Nationa ...
channel, noting that he would make a decision regarding his participation in the elections later.
Candidates
Nomination of presidential candidates took place between 26 February and 15 March 2015 with the registration deadline set on 25 March. Participants were required to collect signatures by at least 1% of total eligible voters whom equally representing at least two-thirds of the regions and the cities of
Almaty
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...
and
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
.
Several parties expressed interests and possibilities on nominating their candidates while others opted out of participation. The
Nationwide Social Democratic Party
The Nationwide Social Democratic Party ( kk, Жалпы ұлттық социал-демократиялық партия, Jalpyūlttyq Sotsial-Demokratialyq Partia, JSDP), sometimes translated as the All-National Social Democratic Party, is a po ...
(JSDP) deputy chairman Petr Svoik said that there should be only two candidates with one being the incumbent and another being from the opposition party. He noted that the JSDP would nominate is candidate after President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
would decide in his participation in the elections or not. Failed
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
presidential nominee and chairman of
Party of Patriots of Kazakhstan
The Party of Patriots of Kazakhstan (, QPP) was a political party in Kazakhstan. At the legislative elections of 19 September and 3 October 2004, the party won 0.6% of the popular vote and no seats in the Majilis (legislative assembly). In the 1 ...
Gani Qasymov
Gani Esengeldinuly Qasymov ( kk, Ғани Есенгелдинұлы Қасымов, ''Ğani Esengeldinūly Qasymov'') (born 3 May 1950) is a former Kazakh politician, member of the Senate, Chairman of Party of Patriots, Extraordinary and Plenipo ...
declined to run, expressing that the country needs "new faces, new people and more candidates from a new generation."
Registered
Campaign
Turgyn Syzdyqov
At the
Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan
The People's Party of Kazakhstan (abbr. QHP),, NPK originally the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (QKHP),, KNPK is a left-wing political party in Kazakhstan, currently led by Ermūhamet Ertısbaev. The Secretaries of the Central Committ ...
(QKHP) Congress, Turgyn Syzdyqov was unanimously nominated to be the presidential candidate for the party on 4 March 2015. The QKHP considered proposing two other candidates for the nomination to which they themselves reject the offer, thus making Syzdyqov the sole choice for the party nominee. QKHP Honorary Secretary
Vladislav Kosarev
Vladislav Borisovich Kosarev (russian: Владислав Борисович Косарев; born 16 November 1937) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as a member of the Mäjilis, First Secretary and then Honorary Secretary of the Communist ...
at the congress, called Syzdyqov "an excellent family man, calm, balanced" that "knows the situation, painfully experiences all the processes taking place."
Syzdyqov's campaign proclaimed the beginning of the party's open struggle against the "capitalist exploitation of wage labor" and "bourgeois principles of distribution of material goods". Syzdyqov argued that the material goods should be given to all members of society, regardless of their social status and called for
universal health care
Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...
and
free education
Free education is education funded through government spending or charitable organizations rather than tuition funding. Many models of free higher education have been proposed. Primary school and other comprehensive or compulsory education is fr ...
, claiming it to be as a basis for scientific and technological progress and participation of the masses of workers without a complete return to a Soviet-communist model, saying that the capital should be dealt within the economy by providing workers with decent payment of labour. Despite admitting not having the chance of winning presidency, Syzdyqov hoped for a second place win.
Nursultan Nazarbayev
On 11 March 2015, the 16th Nur Otan Ordinary Congress was held in
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
to which it was attended by around 2,000 party delegates. Academician Kenzhegali Sagadiev proposed to nominate incumbent President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
for the candidacy, stressing that "he azarbayevhas passed the turning points of history, under his leadership the Kazakh people have overcome considerable challenges." Nazarbayev, at the congress, accepted the offer and from there, he urged all Kazakhstanis to buy domestically made products and called for the entrepreneurs to produce better products to compete with imports as the devaluation of the
had "reduced competitiveness".
At the congress, Nazarbayev announced five institutional reforms to strengthen Kazakhstan to which were: 1) continued liberalization policies with an increased reports by the local government leaders; 2) ensured decision-making transparency with civic involvement by a law on an access to public information; 3) introduction of civil budgeting with an involvement by civic representatives during process of budget allocation; 4) strengthening of the justice system by making it easier of citizens to appeal against the actions by employees; 5) insurance on self-regulation in society by the transfer of power from state agencies to civil society institutions.
In regards to democratic reforms, Nazarbayev expressed dangers, claiming that "forced
democratization
Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a ful ...
" doesn't guarantee the stability of the country nor a successful economic modernization and then compared developed countries whom were criticised for authoritarianism such as
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
.
On the following day on 12 March, the
Ak Zhol Democratic Party
The Aq Jol Democratic Party ( kz, Ақ жол Демократиялық Партиясы, translit=Aq Jol Demokratialyq Partiasy, russian: Демократическая партия Казахстана «Ак жол», Demokraticheskaya partiya ...
(AJ) held its 12th Congress. From there, the party decided not to participate in the elections instead endorse Nazarbayev's presidential bid. AJ Chairman
Azat Peruashev
Azat Turlybekuly Peruashev ( kk, Азат Тұрлыбекұлы Перуашев, ''Azat Tūrlybekūly Peruaşev'') (born 8 September 1967 is a Kazakh politician who's serving as the member of the Mazhilis from 2012. He is currently the chairm ...
stated that there was no political figure comparable to Nazarbayev, saying "Nazarbayev has done more than anyone else for the development of business, promotion of the national interests of Kazakhstan. Whether someone likes it or not, Nazarbayev has not belonged only to himself for a long time, this is a figure of a global historical scale for the entire post-Soviet space."
Äbilgazy Qusaiynov
On 12 March 2015,
Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan
The Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan (FTUK) is a national trade union center in Kazakhstan. It has a membership of 1.5 million, and is the successor organization to the official trade unions of the communist era.
FTUK is affiliated with ...
(QRKF) Chairman
Äbilgazy Qusaiynov
Äbilgazy Qaliaqparuly Qusaiynov (, ''Äbılğazy Qaliaqparūly Qūsaiynov,'' ; born 6 February 1952) is a Kazakh politician who served as a Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan from 2013 to 2017. He was the Äkim of Karaganda ...
applied for candidacy in the elections. From there, he said "elections are always an opportunity to raise pressing issues of society and draw attention to such pressing problems in the life of every person as, for example, issues of ecology and industrial safety in general," and stated that his goal was to raise public awareness regarding these issues.
Qusaiynov's campaign headquarters was opened on 26 March in
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
where it revealed electoral programs, specifically towards environmental issues. Qusaiynov called for the country's transition into environmental friendly development in course of human development which would stimulate the economic growth with a need of adhere to the principles of industrial safety and compliance with technical regulations. He advocated for systemic public control over the activities of enterprises to ensure the safety of products and processes.
The
RFE/RL
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
attempted to interview Qusaiynov which was unsuccessful as Qusaiynov only reserved himself to journalists whom were accredited in his campaign headquarters. Nevertheless, Qusaiynov's campaign received mixed reactions among several Kazakhstanis. Failed presidential candidate and known ecologist
Mels Eleusizov
Mels Hamzauly Eleusizov (, ''Mels Hamzaūly Eleusızov''; born 20 March 1950) is a Kazakh political activist and ecologist who is the Chairman of Tabigat Ecological Union. He campaigned in many of Kazakhstan's elections, mostly notably in the 2005 ...
fired back on Qusaiynov's environmental concerns, claiming that he was an "ecologist" only for the campaign, saying "an official as an official is no different from his own kind." Civil activist Valentina Makhotina expressed her doubts on Qusaiynov work at improving worker's conditions, claiming that under his tenure as QRKF Chairman, a new law which was adopted deprived workers' rights to form independent trade unions, while journalist Aigul Omarova believed that Qusaiynov did not belong to any political clan.
Conduct
The
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
(OSCE) criticized the election, saying that "there is a lack of a credible opposition in the country." It also said that " ters were not offered a genuine choice between political alternatives," and that " ere were significant restrictions to the freedom of expression, as well as to the media environment."
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
Presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...