Kazakhstan: Politics, ethnic balance and opposition

Bloggers in Kazakhstan continue to discuss issues centered around governance and political stability. Izhanov thinks there is a potential problem brewing in Kazkahstan's ethnic demographics [ru]:

The last census showed two major trends of the past decade: there are now much more Kazakhs (+26 per cent) and sufficiently less Russians (-15 per cent). The first trend is good, while the second is bad … The growth of Kazakh population should not oppose the number of Russians in the country. Unfortunately, there are voices that put a question this way…

Megakhuimyak comments on access (or, rather, absence of access) of the political opposition to the mass media [ru]:

Opposition is effectively blocked out of the most part of media, especially television. However, [it's strange that they don't use alternatives] none of the opposition parties uses Internet. Some of them don't have websites, others don't update them often. Meanwhile, there is 1.2 million users of broadband Internet in Kazakhstan already [the country's population is about 15 million].

The past couple of weeks were marked in the region by the birthdays of two ladies – Aliya, the daughter of Kazakh president Nazarbayev, and Gulnara, the daughter of Uzbek leader Karimov. The first invited Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez to the party, the second chose Sting. Zadumka opinionates [ru]:

The Uzbek daughter defenitely has a better taste…

The persistent gap between the rich and the poor, harshly aggravated by the global financial crisis, worries local political observer epolet [ru]:

The way they carry out their political practices in 2010 provokes fear in the society. I feel it in the people's moods. I hope it won't lead to some bloody final.

Gaisa is alarmed by a new round of the government's good intentions [ru]:

Prime-minister ordered to reduce pressure on the business. According to our experience, the fight for reduction of pressure increases the pressure twice…

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