Presidential elections in Kazakhstan are being held on April 26, over a year ahead of schedule, and that nation's embassy, which is located in the posh Vasant Vihar area of South Delhi, is going all out to make the event a memorable one for all Kazakh citizens based in India, or those who are here on a business trip or on holiday.
Revealing this in an exclusive interview to ANI, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India, Bulat Sarsenbayev, said, "All Kazakh citizens living in Delhi, or coming to India as tourists or on business, can come and participate in the election at the embassy here."
He said that on April 26, which is a Sunday, the embassy (61, Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar) would be opened from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to allow all Kazakh citizens in India to exercise their right to vote after due verification of their antecedents, but added that there not that many people of Kazakh origin in India.
"In India, the number of citizens is not too much. In our consulate, there are 51 people registered as citizens of Kazakhstan staying in India. But from my previous experience, I know that during that day, some people can be travelling on business, and may come to participate in election here in our embassy. So, sometimes, the number can even be doubled," the envoy said.
"Now, we are trying to find our citizens everywhere. So, sometimes people coming and staying at some university, or working in some companies here, they do not inform the embassy. They come on their own privately and we do not know. Usually, when they have problem, we start to know about them when they approach the embassy. When there is no problem, we won't know about them," he stated further.
"There also tourists who come to India for a short period of time, and they have the right to participate in the elections here. If they bring their passports and show that they are citizens of Kazakhstan, it is enough for them to participate in the elections," Ambassador Sarsenbayev told ANI.
He said that Kazakh citizens in India could contact the embassy on the following telephone numbers (+91-11-46007710 or 46007700) or e-mail at kazind.com@gmail.com or delhi@mfa.kz . They could also access the web site www.kazakhembassy.in or use Facebook in the run-up to the polls and on voting day.
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He said the embassy's Third Secretary, Rashid Zhubayev, would be the person in charge of the polling process at the embassy on April 26.
Asked how significant this year's presidential elections would be and whether incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev was still popular enough to continue being a guiding force to people of his country, Ambassador Sarsenbayev said, "Till now, 24 years have passed since we became an independent country, and these 24 years has been a success story for Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is developing very quickly. We are among the most quickest developing countries in the world. The GDP has reached per capita now of more than 13-and-a-half-thousand dollars. We have managed to create competitive economy and stable society, and we have achieved many results during these 24 years. Though, I might add, we have faced many challenges during these 24 years as well."
"Of course, the people in Kazakhstan are very pragmatic, and they are watching the results. They are watching what's going on around in the neighboring countries and in other parts of the world. That's why, they think that they have the right choice before them and still they support the president, a majority of all people still do. I think the elections are predictable more or less, though we have three candidates in the fray for the presidential polls," he added.
He said that apart from President Nazarbayev, the two other candidates in the fray Abelgazi Kusainov, 63, currently the chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan, and Turgan Syzdykov, the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan.