ALMA ATA, Oct. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The Kazakh central election commission announced Friday that incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev has been registered as the first candidate for the Dec.4 presidential election.

    After checking Nazarbayev's resume, signatures of his supporters, he and his wife's income and declared property, the commission approved his registration on Tuesday.

    Nazarbayev, 65, has ruled the ex-Soviet republic since its independence in 1991. The president, who seeks a new seven-year term after 14 years in office, has pledged to hold a free and fairvote.

    Under the country's electoral law, candidates must register at least 40 days before the presidential election.

    So far, a total of 18 people have announced their intentions to stand in the presidential race but five of them were disqualified as they failed to pass the Kazakh language examination.   Enditem