The deputy chairman of Kazakhstan's Azat opposition party, Petr Svoik, has compared U.S. President-elect Barack Obama with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
In an interview with RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, Svoik said that Obama is "America's Gorbachev" because the president-elect is coming to power in a challenging time for the United States, and it is clear that significant changes will take place in the country under his leadership.
But, Svoik said -- like Gorbachev -- Obama might end up with limited influence on the processes initiated by his own reforms.
-- Kazakh Service
In an interview with RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, Svoik said that Obama is "America's Gorbachev" because the president-elect is coming to power in a challenging time for the United States, and it is clear that significant changes will take place in the country under his leadership.
But, Svoik said -- like Gorbachev -- Obama might end up with limited influence on the processes initiated by his own reforms.
-- Kazakh Service