President's grip tightens in Kazakhstan

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev after voting during presidential elections. Picture / Reuters

ASTANA - A rash of velvet revolutions across the former USSR appeared to have fizzled out as Kazakhstan's Soviet-era President Nursultan Nazarbayev headed for a landslide win and a third consecutive term in office.

Nazarbayev, 65, has ruled Kazakhstan as a family business since 1989 and after yesterday's election looks certain to rule for another seven years. Exit polls forecast him to win 90 per cent of the vote. His nearest rival looked to be on track to get around 7 per cent.

According to international monitors Kazakhstan has never held truly free and fair elections and in this latest contest Nazarbayev held all the Aces. State-controlled media gave him ample coverage and his posters were plastered all over the main centres.

Opposition candidates complained of harassment, said they were starved of coverage, alleged their newspapers were shut down, and claimed they had evidence of poll falsification.

However their main leader, a man called Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, is a former member of the governing party and is hardly a revolutionary. He said yesterday that his supporters would not be protesting.

- INDEPENDENT