ASTANA – Ahead of what is termed the “day of silence,” when the law explicitly bans campaigning and electioneering one day prior to the election, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev addressed his fellow countrymen on April 24, appealing for a high turnout in the country’s presidential election on Sunday, April 26.
The election of a head of state is the single most important political event for any nation, the President said, as it “directly implements [the principle] that the people are the source of state authority.”
“If each of us thinks that the election will take place without his or her involvement, then his or her chance to define [our common] future will be left unused,” the statement issued by the official website of the President’s office, www.akorda.kz, on April 24 said.
The statement further cited the presence of more than 1,000 international observers from around 40 countries and more than 200 foreign journalists covering the voting day as a sign of the world’s genuine interest in Kazakhstan and the election.
“I am addressing everyone with one plea: come to the polling stations. The more voters that cast their ballots, the more convincingly we will confirm to the world our unity, and, most of all, our confidence in the [bright] future of our country,” the message said.
The President’s statement concluded that a successful election “will help strengthen trust [of the international community], facilitate investments, secure further progress in Kazakhstan’s development and improve the quality of life of our people.”
Kazakhstan has more than 9.5 million citizens eligible to vote at one of around 10,000 polling stations established for the upcoming election. This includes 65 polling stations in the country’s diplomatic posts around the world, where up to 20,000 expatriate Kazakhs are expected to vote as well.
