There is no cult of personality in Kazakhstan: Yertysbayev

Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan, says that there is no cult of personality of Nursulan Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan, Moskovskiy Komsomolets newspaper writes. “I would like give you a straight forward answer: no cult of personality of Nazarbayev exists. Kazakhstan is an open society, the most westernized society among all the nations of the Asian continent, if I may put it this way. There is no cult, but Nazarbayev is indeed highly respected by the people. A year ago at the presidential elections Nazarbayev was the choice of over 95% of Kazakhstan’s voters. The overwhelming majority of Kazakh citizens don’t wish for a different president at this stretch of history," Yertysbayev said. The Advisor to the President also pointed out that the monument to Nazarbayev that had been erected in Almaty is merely an initiative of local officials. “Kazakhstan seeks to be an advanced, modern, open, democratic and secular state," he added.