Publication

Incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev will almost certainly win the early presidential elections in Kazakhstan set for 3 April. The decision to hold elections instead of the referendum on extending the presidential term to 2020, as announced earlier, is primarily aimed at maintaining a positive image of the country in the West and does not indicate willingness to carry out systemic changes. Simulated democratisation should preserve the status quo, strengthen the legitimacy of the authorities and postpone the problem of succession.