Kazakhstan to stiffen Presidential Candidates' Language Test

    Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) chairman Quandyq Turghanqulov is calling for a stricter Kazakh-language test for presidential candidates, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported February 8.
    The new test, mandatory for all presidential candidates, would require them to write a text on a selected topic, read a text aloud and give a 15-minute speech on an issue assigned by the CEC, he said.
    The new rules also would allow candidates only one spelling or stylistic error rather than the three mistakes they are now permitted, Fauziya Orazbayeva, a member of Kazakhstan's linguistic commission, told RFE/RL.
    The presidential election is scheduled for April 3, according to Central Asia Online.