314,000 signatures for presidential extension referendum in Kazakhstan

Over 314,000 signatures have been collected in favour of a referendum
extending the presidential term of Nursultan Nazarbayev until 2020,
News-Kazakhstan reports.

In accordance with the legislation, the referendum proponents had to
collect at least 200,000 signatures of citizens, equally representing
all areas of the cities of Astana and Almaty.

The current president of Kazakhstan, 70-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev,
has been in power for over 20 years. New presidential elections were
due to be held in 2012.