Kazakhstan chooses new president (BBC News)

(Probably the worst headline ever, the "new" president will, most likely, be the same guy as the "old" President.)

Sunday, 4 December 2005, 01:05 GMT

Kazakhstan chooses new president

The people of Kazakhstan have been voting in an election widely expected to return President Nursultan Nazarbayev for another seven-year term.

Mr Nazarbayev has headed the Central Asian republic since independence. The other four contenders - all men - include the main opposition candidate, former governing party member Zharmakhan Tuyakbai.

International observers have criticised previous elections in Kazakhstan as neither free nor fair. Voting started at 0700 (0100 GMT) and ends at 2000 (1300 GMT), with early results expected on Monday morning.

A candidate must gain more than 50% of votes in the first round to avoid a run-off. A survey by the US-based Intermedia Survey Institute suggested Mr Nazarbayev enjoyed 71% support, with none of his challengers getting above 2%.

However, an opposition-ordered opinion poll claimed that Mr Nazarbayev was only narrowly ahead of Mr Tuyakbai - leading by 41.2% to 40.3%, the Associated Press news agency reported. The election is being seen as an important test of whether this vast oil-rich country is moving towards greater political openness, says the BBC's Ian MacWilliam in the capital, Astana.

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4495944.stm>
(more at link above)

More info on Kazakhstan at this link:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4379497.stm>

two to the chest and one to the head?

Dammit, I really want to travel to Kazakhstan too. I hope they can get their shit together.

:kick:

(See, told ya, now my question is, What was the DEAL with the Associated Press Poll in the previous article? Why was it so wrong?)

Sunday, 4 December 2005, 19:25 GMT

Kazakh leader 'in landslide win'

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is heading for re-election by a wide margin, exit polls suggest.

Various polls showed the incumbent had won between 77% and 87% of the vote. However, the opposition complained of "multiple violations" in the election. Previous votes in Kazakhstan have been adjudged neither free nor fair.

Mr Nazarbayev has headed the oil-rich Central Asian state since 1989 - two years before independence. A win would mean a further seven years in power.

According to the exit polls, Mr Nazarbayev's nearest challenger was Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, with between 9% and 13% of the vote. Preliminary official results are expected on Monday.

Mr Nazarbayev said the elections were held in "unprecedented democratic conditions". Speaking after casting his vote in Almaty, he said all five candidates had equal conditions and the same media access.

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4497872.stm>
(more at link above)