Kazakhstan’s election: Tokayev leads first vote in 3 decades without ‘nation's father’ Nazarbaev

Kazakhstan is undergoing a change of leadership after the resignation of its head Nursultan Nazarbayev. The election came to an end with more than 70% of votes cast for his successor Tokayev, according to the preliminary results.

Kazakhstan, a large Central Asian country located between Russia and China, which is a major energy player in the region, has a new head of state for the first time since gaining independence in 1991.

On Sunday, Kazakhs went to over 9,000 polling stations throughout the country in a snap presidential election, which had a record seven candidates on the ballot. Some 12 million voters were registered in the nation of 16 million people.

The election commission reported a turnout of more than 70 percent, which may seem high but is actually not unusual. The previous election in 2015 had a turnout of 95.21 percent, with almost 98 percent of votes cast in favor of the winning candidate.

The Sunday vote was more about validating the mandate of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, formerly a parliament speaker, who succeeded as head of state after the veteran politician Nazarbayev resigned from office in March. The Kazakh Constitution says the person succeeding a resigning president has full presidential authority until the end of his predecessor’s term. But Tokayev chose to call an early election, becoming an undisputed frontrunner. Early results indicate he has won in the first round after scoring over 70 percent of the votes.

The election was also remarkable for a record number of candidates participating in it. In addition to Tokayev, six people also ran for the office, including a Communist, a conservative traditionalist who wore gold-embroidered Kazakh clothes during the campaign and the first-ever female candidate, who currently serves as an MP.

That kind of transition of power was necessary for Kazakhstan, considering the challenges it faces internationally and domestically, believes Tokayev. “I believe that through the wisdom of the people of Kazakhstan we will be successful and overcome [the challenges],” he added. He also praised this year’s campaign as remarkably polite and constructive, saying other candidates had their chance to present their positions in a competitive and transparent way.

Election observers said that polling went smooth with no serious violations. Around 100 people were detained across the country for their participation in a non-sanctioned protest but in general the situation in the country remains calm.

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