New Chair of the OSCE - What hypocrisy!

[Gotno Gizmo]

Obtained from Boston.com May 13, 2010

Kazakh lawmakers give president lifetime immunity

ALMATY, Kazakhstan—Kazakh lawmakers have approved amendments to the constitution that will give President Nursultan Nazarbayev lifetime immunity from prosecution for acts committed during his rule and the right to approve important national and foreign policies after he retires.
Under the changes approved by the Senate on Wednesday, 69-year-old Nazarbayev will be designated "leader of the nation," even after he steps down from office.
Nazarbayev will need to sign off on the changes before they can take effect.

Backers of the amendments pointed to Nazarbayev's state-building achievements, likening him to George Washington and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey and its first president.
Other measures passed by the Senate will make defacing images of Nazarbayev an offense and provide property owned by him and his family protection from confiscation.

Opposition parties have urged Nazarbayev not to sign the amendments.
"We call on you to display political wisdom and civic responsibility by vetoing this law," Azat opposition party leaders Bulat Abilov and Zharmakhan Tuyakbai said in a letter addressed to Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev has ruled the Central Asian nation with an iron fist since it gained independence amid the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. His current presidential term expires in 2012, but under legal changes approved by parliament in 2007, Nazarbayev is allowed to run for president indefinitely.

Consolidation of Nazarbayev's tight grip over the country will come at a delicate time for the international image of Kazakhstan, which this year is chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a trans-Atlantic security and democracy group.

Oil-rich Kazakhstan has sustained considerable criticism from rights groups for its poor progress in developing democratic freedoms.

[AkMike]

Based on my in-laws attitudes about the man...he can do no wrong in their eyes. We drove past his place on the way to Timertau.His residential compound is pretty impressive. A high wall with armed guards everywhere. I didn't see the palace/house though.
He has made a big step forward since the days of the USSR. Pretty impressive changes especially since he started off as a worker at a steel foundry.
Things didn't seem so bad from my observations as this post states.

[Lvivske]

Wish Ukraine had such a strong, independent minded leader...

[AkMike]

Have a look at a statement issued by the OSCE back in 2006. Nothing but praise for him. Funny that they'd choose someone that's such a bad guy as the ultra liberal Boston Globe paints him to be.
OSCE Press release - Almaty meeting calls for promoting tolerance as a factor of security and stability across OSCE region


Here's the acceptance speech by the man himself.

http://portal.mfa.kz/portal/page/por...10/2010-01-141

This sounds more like something Docc would dream up IMO!

[Gotno Gizmo]

Wish Ukraine had such a strong, independent minded leader... !!!

Do you really want to be part of a country where it is impossible to form a political party in opposition to the President and his government. Where because the President's family own all of the media it is impossible to get any publicity challenging the authorities. Where despite this difficulty, if by word of mouth you gain political credence and try and hold a meeting or rally it is quickly broken up the police and the organisers arrested. That despite this, if because of your growing political popularity, it is considered you pose a threat, you will either be imprisoned, or worse suffer a fatal accident.

The first time I went to Kazakhstan I attempted to attend a rally of the President, but was stopped from getting within sight of the President by the Police. It appeared that the only people allowed near the rally where party cohorts and locally employed civil servants equipped with banners and baloons.

On my second visit, whilst staying at the Astana Airport Hotel overnightl, I was refused exit whilst trying to leave the hotel. Apparently, the motorcade of the President was due to drive by and no persons where allowed at the roadside. If Nursultan Nazarbayev is such a respected leader, why does he need such ultra high security to protect him from his own citizens?

It angers me that although the USA and EU say that they uphold democracy, they are prepared to close their eyes to this regimes malfeasance for the sake of oil and gas deals. Furthermore, I am aware that my own country has not recognised the plea of an asylum seeker and has returned him to Kazakhstan whereupon he was killed within days.

[AkMike]

And if the USA and the EU were to step in and help get rid of this guy then we'd be war mongers in your eyes.. There's no win-win situations anymore.

[Lvivske]

Originally Posted by Gotno Gizmo

Wish Ukraine had such a strong, independent minded leader... !!!

Do you really want to be part of a country where it is impossible to form a political party in opposition to the President and his government. Where because the President's family own all of the media it is impossible to get any publicity challenging the authorities. Where despite this difficulty, if by word of mouth you gain political credence and try and hold a meeting or rally it is quickly broken up the police and the organisers arrested. That despite this, if because of your growing political popularity, it is considered you pose a threat, you will either be imprisoned, or worse suffer a fatal accident.
.

sounds like Yanu's Ukraine!