ALMATY -- The Kazakh opposition party Azat says it intends to boycott the country's early presidential polls in April, which long-standing leader Nursultan Nazarbaev is all but certain to win.
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports that members of the Azat Social Democratic Party today selected the party's co-chairman, Bulat Abilov, to serve as their candidate in the first presidential elections held after the April 3 vote.
Abilov said there was not sufficient time before April to stage an effective opposition campaign.
Nazarbaev earlier this month issued the decree on early elections after unexpectedly rejecting a plan to hold a referendum on extending his term through 2020.
The 70-year-old Nazarbaev, who has held his post since 1990, can run for an unlimited number of terms.
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports that members of the Azat Social Democratic Party today selected the party's co-chairman, Bulat Abilov, to serve as their candidate in the first presidential elections held after the April 3 vote.
Abilov said there was not sufficient time before April to stage an effective opposition campaign.
Nazarbaev earlier this month issued the decree on early elections after unexpectedly rejecting a plan to hold a referendum on extending his term through 2020.
The 70-year-old Nazarbaev, who has held his post since 1990, can run for an unlimited number of terms.