I have no idea why Nur Otan would do this. Is there some reason they think that President Nazarbayev would have a tougher time winning if the elections are held on schedule in 2016? This is going to be a hard year economically for Kazakhstan. Its economy is tied very closely to Russia and it is also heavily dependent on oil revenue, two things that will not go in Kaz's favor in the coming year. So why have an early presidential election under those circumstances? Does this mean they think things will only get worse next year?
Also, the powers that be really should stop monkeying with the ground rules for presidential elections. Since independence, they have shortened the term of the presidency from seven years to five. They imposed a two term limit, but then exempted the current president from the limit. Then in 2011 they held the elections one year ahead of schedule. If the 2016 presidential election is held in 2015, that would mean that the current system in which a presidential election is held every five years (which was established in 2007) will still not have ever occurred when it was supposed to. If the ruling party does not respect the rules, how can anyone ever expect those rules to ever be respected in the future? Especially considering that the government has never had an extraordinary reason for any of its monkeying. It always just seems to be based on short-term political expediency. That's no way to establish the rule of law for a new country.
Also, the powers that be really should stop monkeying with the ground rules for presidential elections. Since independence, they have shortened the term of the presidency from seven years to five. They imposed a two term limit, but then exempted the current president from the limit. Then in 2011 they held the elections one year ahead of schedule. If the 2016 presidential election is held in 2015, that would mean that the current system in which a presidential election is held every five years (which was established in 2007) will still not have ever occurred when it was supposed to. If the ruling party does not respect the rules, how can anyone ever expect those rules to ever be respected in the future? Especially considering that the government has never had an extraordinary reason for any of its monkeying. It always just seems to be based on short-term political expediency. That's no way to establish the rule of law for a new country.
