Two more Kazakhstani parties support Nazarbayev's candidacy in presidential elections

Two Kazakhstani political parties – Party of Patriots and Social Democratic Party Auyl - have supported the candidacy of the incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev in the coming presidential elections, Tengrinews reports.

The XIII Congress of Kazakhstan’s Party of Patriots took place in Astana on March 13, where 200 delegates unanimously voted in favor of the Party’s decision to support the candidacy of Nursultan Nazarbayev in the presidential elections scheduled for April 26.

“The Party of Patriots of Kazakhstan understands the importance of the early presidential elections scheduled for April 26, 2015 and declares its support to the candidacy of the incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev and continuity of the strategic course that meets all the statutory and strategic goals of the Party of Patriots,” the party’s statement said.

“After a discussion, the Party of Patriots (…) has concluded that this year, under the existing circumstances, we need to show unity and be united around the incumbent president for consolidation of the society and for the sake of the country's social and political interests,” the leader of the Party of Patriots Gani Kassymov said.

Gani Kassymov also informed that he became a member of Nazarbayev's campaign staff. "I became a member of the President's staff, his personal election campaign staff. I will travel to the regions to talk about preferences for young people, especially for those who are engaged in small and medium business, I will be talking about preferential terms of loans, " he said.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s Social Democratic Party Auyl held the IX Congress of the Party on March 13 in Astana to discuss the early presidential elections. Eventually all 110 delegates unanimously decided to support Nazarbayev’s candidacy in the elections.

“With successful and dynamic development of Kazakhstan in mind, Auyl Party expresses full support to the nomination of the incumbent President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev for the early presidential elections,” the statement issued by the party said.

“The incumbent president knows better than anyone how and what to do to implement the planned programs aimed at economic recovery, addressing the urgent tasks to further improve the wellbeing of our citizens. (...) We support continuity of policies, continuation of strategies aimed at building an economically strong, politically stable and socially responsible state with high standards of living," the statement said.

Earlier, Kazakhstan's Democratic Party Ak Zhol also refused to nominate its own presidential candidate and instead, supported the nomination of Nursultan Nazarbayev for the upcoming early presidential elections. The party’s chairman Azat Peruashev said that there was no political figure in Kazakhstan comparable with Nursultan Nazarbayev.

So far, the Kazakh language examination, which is required for all candidates for further participation in the elections, was successfully passed by the incumbent president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, Communist party nominee Turgun Syzdykov, self-nominated candidates Limana Koishiyeva and Kanat Turageldiyev.

Reporting by Aidana Ususpova, writing by Assel Satubaldina, editing by Tatyana Kuzmina