Kazakh president calls early elections
The president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has called for early elections to parliament which is currently dominated by his party, Nur Otan. The previous election was boycotted by opposition parties and derided by international observers as his party won 95% of the vote. Nazarbayev has ruled Kazakhstan since the fall of the Soviet Union and the new elections would most likely benefit the Ak Zhol party which is run by a close associate of the ruling family.