Pop Stars Urge Young People To 'Vote For Kazakhstan'

    Some of Kazakhstan's hottest pop idols have recorded a song urging young people to go to the polls on April 3 and "vote for Kazakhstan," RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
    Singers and musicians Nurzhan Kermenbaev, Medeu Arynbaev, Bayan Esentaeva, Asha Matai, and Murat Qozha told journalists at a press conference in Almaty today that all citizens of Kazakhstan, especially young people, should participate in the early presidential elections "to show how they care about their motherland."
    A video clip featuring the song has already been posted.
    "Vote for Kazakhstan! Vote for everything that is dear to us all!" the stars croon in Kazakh and Russian, adding:
    "You choose the right to live in a bright world.
    Do not be aloof; it is you who decides your country's fate....
    Your motherland's tomorrow is in your hands.
    Don't be timid on the path of your life.
    Shine like a flame, like the star of your country's independence.
    If our unity is really strong, our star will be really high
    And may our wings take us as far as we want!"
    The singers stressed to reporters that they organized the campaign voluntarily, RFE/RL said.