Kazakh leader calls snap presidential elections

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called an early presidential election for Nov.20 on Wednesday, according to a decree published by his office, pressing ahead with a plan he announced earlier this month.
The vote, which he is likely to win, will cut his current term, but will give him a longer second term after a recent constitutional reform in the oil-rich Central Asian nation changed it to seven years from five.
Analysts say holding an early election minimises risks from a potential deterioration of the economy and loss of public support amid geopolitical turbulence in the broader post-Soviet region.
It also gives Tokayev a head start after he implemented a series of reforms, announced a minimum wage increase and other handouts, and parted ways with his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev.