Kazakhstan accredits First International Election Observers

    The Kazakhstani Central Election Commission (CEC) announced February 26 that it has issued the first accreditations for international observers to monitor the April 3 presidential election, Kazinform reported.
    Seven French observers and two from the International Republican Institute have been granted accreditation, a CEC representative told the state-owned agency .
     The CEC also announced Saturday that each presidential candidate would receive KZT 6 million (US $41,000) from the government for their campaign, Kazinform reports.
    The election is being held one year early at the request of President Nursultan Nazarbayev after efforts to call a referendum to extend his term through 2020 were ruled unconstitutional.
     Nazarbayev has been president since 1990, Central Asia online said.