Kazakhstani presidential election, 2015
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Early presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on 26 April 2015, having been originally scheduled for 2016. The result was a victory for long-term incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Nur Otan, who received 97.7% of the vote, winning a fifth term in office.
On 14 February 2015, the People's Assembly unanimously voted on the initiative to move presidential elections forward from 2016 to 2015. One motivation was that early elections would help the development of the country; another one was that it is a disadvantage to hold both presidential and parliamentary elections in the same year. On 18 February, the Mazhilis unanimously asked President Nursultan Nazarbayev to move the elections. On 19 February, the Senate followed. In the first vote, there was one vote against the initiative. The senators were asked to vote again, and the second vote was unanimous. The first vote was officially explained as a technical error.
On 25 February 2015 Nazarbayev signed a decree scheduling the presidential elections for 26 April. He also confirmed that he would run.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe criticized the election, noting that "there is a lack of a credible opposition in the country." It also noted that "[v]oters were not offered a genuine choice between political alternatives," and that "[t]here were significant restrictions to the freedom of expression, as well as to the media environment."
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