MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Kazakh President Narsultan Nazarbayev, who recently announced his desire to run for a third, seven-year term, enjoys wide popularity among Kazakh citizens, the Russian polling agency VTsIOM found in a new survey.
"According to results of a public opinion poll conducted in Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus under the Eurasian Monitor project, the overwhelming majority of Kazakh citizens, 82%, approve of Nazarbayev," said VTsIOM official Dmitry Polikanov.
Polikanov said 73% of the 1,500 respondents in Kazakhstan are satisfied with the current state of their lives (56% in Belarus, 44% in Russia and 41% in Ukraine) and 87% of Kazakh citizens believe their incomes are moderate or good.
Almost all Kazakh citizens, 93%, think the economic situation in the republic is mediocre (63%) or good (30%), whereas in Russia and Ukraine, this figure drops below the 50% mark.
Fifty-three percent of Kazakh citizens say they have a bright outlook for the future and believe their living conditions will improve. Another 40% believe nothing is going to change in the near future and only 4% fear negative changes.
"Previous research ... and the results of social polls in other regions confirm these statistics," Polikanov said.
The rate of economic growth in Kazakhstan is much higher than that in other former Soviet republics and the political situation there is stable, he said.
He also said that Russians generally regard Nursultan Nazarbayev positively.
"A rather large number of Russians, 49%, believe he has friendly policy toward Russia," Polikanov said.
One in ten Russians said the Kremlin could learn a couple of lessons from the Kazakh leader, the official said.
