My host family loaned me their xmas tree through the 25th. Kazakhs don't put up their tree until the 31st, for New Years, and then take it down shortly after. So they are letting me enjoy it in my room. Freshly stacked with presents from home. :)
Today is Independence Day here in KZ. 19 years ago they gained their independence from USSR. Since then, KZ has had one president, Nazerbayev. He has been in charge for longer though, as he was the head of the communist party in KZ before the fall. In all, he's been in charge for 21 years (since 1989). The country has seen significant improvements in making the country a free market economy, thanks to the oil and gas industry. This year KZ is the head of the OSCE, the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization and they are hosting the Asian Olympic Games in January.
The people love their president and think he has kept the country peaceful after the fall of the Soviet Union. KZ has a "strong presidential system", which reflects the fact that what he says goes, and the fact that the parliament only has one party represented in it. It actually works for KZ because the president, outside a few scandals, seems to be well loved and nobody is screaming for reform or true democracy. Nazerbayev has declared himself "president for life", meaning that even after he retires he can still have control over policy. And last week it was reported that he has commissioned the top scientist in KZ to find the fountain of youth, asking them to research "rejuvenation of the organism," as well as "the human genome, production of human tissue and creation of gene-based medicines"- in other words, they are looking for ways to prolong his life. He is 70 years old and will be "running" for election again 2012, though there will be little to no opposition. Nobody is concerned about this but a few are concerned about what is after. The system is in place for a one-person and one-party government with complete control and serious corruption (ranked 120 of 180 most corrupt countries). The future for this country should be interesting. Hopefully, being put on the world stage, like the OSCE,will help prevent then from crashing down. We shall see.
In the meantime, Happy Independence Day from Kazakhstan!
PS- On a side note, I discovered recently that KZ is the 70th happiest country in the world (US is 14th).
