Kazakhstan, Astana, Dec. 29 / Trend A. Maratov /
Kazakh MP, Irak Elekeev, proposed to include the concept of "Leader of the Nation" in the Constitution.
"To eliminate the contradiction between the Constitution and Law, I suggest to include the missing word " Elbasy, " translated from the "Kazakh Leader of the Nation," in the Constitution," he said at the plenary session of Parliament.
Kazakhstan is considering extending President Nazarbayev's powers until 2020. The Kazakh Central Election Commission on Monday voted for the registration of a statement on holding a referendum to extend presidential powers. The Assembly of Kazakh people supported the initiative to hold a referendum.
According to legislation, initiators of the referendum should collect at least 200,000 signatures from citizens, equally representing all regions, Astana and Almaty. This comes to at least 12,500 signatures in each region.
The initiative group started collecting signatures from the day of registration and as of Tuesday, Dec.28, brought together more than 140,000 signatures.
An earlier referendum extended Nazarbayev's powers in 1995 until 1999.
The 70-year-old Kazakh president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is in power for over 20 years. The next presidential elections were to be held in 2012, in which the current and first president plans to nominate his candidacy.