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Kazakhstan to hold referendum on Nazarbayev term

27 December 2010 09:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova â€“ APA. The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kazakhstan on Monday registered an application of an initiative group to hold a referendum to extend the powers of President Nursultan Nazarbayev until 2020, APA reports quoting ITAR-TASSa agency. According to CEC Chairman Kuandyk Turgankulov, representatives of the group will receive paper sheets to collect signatures. It is necessary to collect at least 200 thousand signatures of citizens, equally representing all regions of the country, as well as the cities of Astana and Almaty, to hold a referendum.
The nationwide meeting, at which an initiative to hold a referendum on the extension of the office term of the incumbent head of state was put forward, was held in Ust-Kamenogorsk on December 23. Taking part in it were 850 delegates from 14 regions of Kazakhstan, as well as from Astana and Almaty.
The idea of holding a referendum was supported Sunday during an action of the Kazakh Peopleâ€™s Assembly. An appeal to the citizens of the country, stressing that the extension of Nazarbayevâ€™s term is â€œneeded for the future sustainable development of the state, improving the competitiveness of the country in the world and prosperity of Kazakhstanâ€ was adopted during the action.
Nazarbayev, 70, has been in office in Kazakhstan for over 20 years. He intends to run at the countryâ€™s next presidential election in 2012.