President's Political Adviser Yermukhamet Yertysbaev:
DISCUSSING NAZARBAYEV'S SUCCESSOR IS IRRELEVANT UNTIL 2017, PRESIDENT'S ADVISOR

President's Political Adviser Yermukhamet Yertysbaev in an interview to Interfax-Kazakhstan commented on the plans of Nursultan Nazarbayev to run for the presidential elections in 2012, confirmed the decision will be upheld by the political elite and rate opposition's chances to win in the presidential run.

- You have recently made a statement that Nursultan Nazarbayev intends to take part in the 2011 elections. Is it an official position of Akorda and the president? Why didn't the president make that important statement himself?

- Since I am the presidential adviser on political affairs and President Nazarbayev told me on September 3 that he is not leaving the office, then you can regard my information as "the official position of Akorda and the president." The head of state will personally announce his decision to run for president half a year prior to the launch of the election campaign, which is due in spring of 2012.

I do not think the decision on the participation of President Nazarbayev at the 2012 election is "of so much importance" right now. All important decisions were made in summer of 2007, when the parliament granted the first Kazakh president a privilege to run for office an unlimited number of times. Three years ago it became clear for everyone that Nazarbayev will take advantage of it to remain the head of state as long as possible.

It's not an ambitious goal of some kind, it's his desire to lead the country to further modernization. He believes it is the first priority - to introduce industrial and innovative development program' 2020.

- How Kazakhstan's political elite responded to the president's decision?

- The political elite of Kazakhstan, will definitely welcome the decision of President Nazarbayev to run for the upcoming presidential election. Kazakhstan's political elite associates sustainable and long-term development of Kazakhstan exclusively with the name of Nazarbayev.

- How do you rate Nazarbayev's chances to win the upcoming presidential election? Do you think he will repeat his success in the 2005 elections, when he won over 91% of the vote?

- Nazarbayev is the only one, who stands the chance to win. His competitors (I have no idea who they are) have absolutely no chance. I think that Nazarbayev will be able to repeat his triumph in 2005, regarding that 89% of the electorate still supports him following the most severe financial crisis and the economic recession.

- Do you believe that the opposition forces are able to combine efforts and put forward a single candidate for the elections? If it's seems a likable scenario, who could that possibly be?

- The opposition forces in Kazakhstan have nothing to offer to outshine the authority of Nursultan Nazarbayev in the upcoming elections. "The opposition will not be able to nominate a single candidate for the elections. Even if the entire opposition unites and puts forward a candidate, this political formation will no pose any danger to Nazarbayev: the Kazakh opposition is too weak, amorphous, often infantile.

- The President's decision to run for office seems to undermine the meaning of "the leader of the nation" concept, since the implied mechanism of "appointing" a successor becomes irrelevant. Do you agree? Is it possible that the president will change his mind and name a successor until 2012?

- I have repeatedly suggested that the whole concept of the leader of the nation will be put in use, if suddenly, for whatever reasons, Nazarbayev decides not to run for the upcoming presidential election.

I neither understand, nor accept such phrasing" as "the delegation of power to a successor. President's office is not a monarch's throne to be inherited. Any new potential candidate to the office will have to fight the election campaign nationwide.

President Nazarbayev certainly cares a lot who will be the next president of Kazakhstan after him. If Nazarbayev opts for choosing a presidential candidate, (call him a successor, if you like), the candidate will have a good chance to win, because his candidacy is supported by the leader of the nation himself, which speaks for itself. I want to stress that Nazarbayev is going to run for elections in 2012 and since he will win, no one has any doubt about it, including the opposition, the question of a successor is irrelevant until December 2017.

- Thank you for the interview!

September, 2010
й 2009 Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency
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September, 2010
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