Given the highly volatile ethnic mix of Kazakhstan and the lurking destabilizing effect of foreign interests longing for abundant mineral resources, a strong majority for stability over freedom is hardly surprising. Nonetheless, 98% seems very much out of this world. But with the &quot;right&quot; mix of fearmongering and early divide-and-conquer intervention when a moderate opposition ist starting to organize? Certainly not unthinkable. There&#x27;s so much more to a healthy democracy than not miscounting the votes.