The United States has again pressed Kazakhstan over a bid to dispense with presidential elections for the next decade – but are its words falling on deaf ears?
As Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on January 26, she reminded him that extending the rule of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to 2020 through a referendum – currently pending a ruling from the Constitutional Council – would be a "setback for democracy," the State Department said.
"During the meeting, Secretary Clinton emphasized the United States's concern that the national referendum that would extend President Nazarbayev's term of office to 2020 would be a setback for democracy, and we hope that Kazakhstan will renew its commitments to democracy, good governance, and human rights," Assistant Secretary of State Philip J. Crowley told a press briefing in Washington after the meeting.
Not surprisingly, that wasn't mentioned in the Kazakh Foreign Ministry statement on the talks, which focused rather on Clinton's "gratitude for the leadership of Kazakhstan" in promoting nonproliferation and contributing to efforts to stabilize Afghanistan (also mentioned by Crowley).
That angle got wide coverage in Kazakhstan's state media, which also talked up what the Foreign Ministry described as Nazarbayev's high standing in the eyes of US congressmen.
"Members of Congress noted the role of President Nursultan Nazarbayev in successfully implementing a policy of stability and progress, promoting Kazakhstan's international initiatives, and making an important contribution to stability in the Central Asian region and in the world as a whole," the Foreign Ministry asserted in a statement on January 27.
So Washington feels it's done its job by repeating concerns that Astana has previously ignored, and Astana nods politely and uses Saudabayev's US visit to make domestic capital for Nazarbayev.
Perhaps it'll become obvious whether Astana is heeding Washington's concerns or not on January 28, when the man known as the Leader of the Nation in Kazakhstan delivers his state-of-the-nation address to parliament.
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