Nazarbayev turns down referendum on extended presidency till 2020

ASTANA, January 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev
refused from the proposal made by the parliament to hold a referendum on
amendments in the republican Constitution over a probable extension of the
term of the incumbent president without the general elections until 2020.
Official media cited the presidential decree on Friday.
"I turn down the proposal initiated by the Kazakh parliament under
Article 54 Clause 2 Point 3 of the Kazakh Constitution to put on a
republican referendum several amendments in the Kazakh Constitution. The
decree comes into effect starting from the signing day," the presidential
decree runs.
The republican Central Election Commission registered an application
of the initiative group to hold a referendum on December 27. The
Republican Assembly put forward this initiative at a meeting in
Ust-Kamenogorsk on December 23. Some 850 delegates from 14 Kazakh regions,
including Astana and Almaty, participated in the meeting.
The parliamentary appeal noted that Nazarbayev's extended presidency
"is needed for a future stable development of the country, a higher
competitiveness in the world, the well-being and prosperity of Kazakhstan."
The Senate supported the initiative for the referendum on Thursday.
With the name of Nazarbayev "we link all the achievements of modern
Kazakhstan. Our country succeeded to turn into a successful country with
the developed market economy and the high authority in the international
community for a short period of time in terms of history," Senate Speaker
Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev noted.
At least 200,000 citizens are to sign up for a referendum. Some
2,000,590 Kazakh citizens have signed up so far, according to official
reports.
Nazarbayev rules the country for more than 20 years. His presidential
term expires in 2012.
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