PRESIDENT NURSULTAN NAZARBAYEV HAS BEEN RE-ELECTED FOR FIVE MORE YEARS 

Astana, April 5: Nursultan Nazarbayev won the presidential election in Kazakhstan on April 3, by receiving 95.55 percent of the general vote, Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CIC) Kuandyk Turgankulov announced on April 5.

According to the CEC, Nazarbayev’s three opponents achieved the following results: Gani Kassymov from the Party of Patriots received 1.94 percent of the vote, while Zhambyl Akhmetbekov from the People’s Communist Party and Mels Yeleussizov from the “Tabigat” (Nature) Environmentalist Union received 1.36 percent and 1.15 percent respectively.

The voter turnout reached the record 89.99 percent.  

A total of 30,266 people monitored the voting and the vote counting process at polling stations, including 9,417 candidates’ representatives, 1,212 observers from foreign states, international organisations and media, 12,828 observers from political parties, 6,290 observers from public associations and NGOs, as well as 997 representatives of the national media. 

 “This election victory is Kazakhstan’s victory.  Kazakhstan once again showed the world its desire for unity,” Nazarbayev said at the Forum that was held in Astana on April 4 and gathered around 5,000 of his supporters.

Starting from Monday, April 4, President Nursultan Nazarbayev began receiving congratulations on his victory from leaders of other countries, including Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Hu Jintao of China, Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia, Viktor Yanukovich of Ukraine, Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia, Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea, Nguen Minh Triet of Vietnam, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, Alexander Lukashenka of Belarus, Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia, Prime Ministers Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain, and Manmohan Singh of India. 

Also, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Audronius Ažubalis, as well as the Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger congratulated Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State-Minister of Foreign Affairs Kanat Saudabayev on the successful presidential elections in Kazakhstan over the telephone on April 5. 

Secretaries General of the OIC and the OSCE Ekmeleddin Ikhsanoglu and Marc Perrin de Brichambaut also sent letters congratulating President Nazarbayev on his victory.