Kazakh MPs back unlimited term for Nazarbayev

Astana, May 18: Kazakhstan's parliament voted overwhelmingly today to allow the Central Asian state's President Nursultan Nazarbayev to stay in office for an unlimited number of terms.

Only one in more than 100 deputies of both legislative chambers voted against the draft law which is yet to be signed by Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev, a 66-year-old former steelworker who has been in power since 1989, led the country to independence in 1991. His current term expires in 2012.

''Taking into account the first president's historic role as one of the founders of a new, independent Kazakhstan, as well as a need to complete the launched political and economic reforms, the joint (parliamentary) commission adopted this decision,'' parliamentarian Yermet Zhumabayev told deputies.

Earlier this week the parliament voted to back Nazarbayev's initiative to cut presidential terms to five years from seven years after his mandate expires in 2012.

The vast steppe nation of 15 million, which borders Russia and China, aspires to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2009.

But Kazakhstan has never held a vote judged by foreign observers to be free and fair.

Reuters>