In the oil and gas-rich ex-Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won the presidential election as expected, according to preliminary information. Tokayev was re-elected with 81.31 percent of the votes, the central election commission in Astana said.
The five opposing candidates only achieved results between 2.1 and 3.4 percent in the election on Sunday. However, 5.8 percent of voters ticked the “Against all” box on the ballot paper. Voter turnout was 69.4 percent, according to the Kasinform state agency.
Tokayev (69) faces a seven-year term after a constitutional amendment. Previously, the term of office was five years. Around twelve million people were called to vote on Sunday in the country bordering China and Russia. International observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) wanted to give their verdict on the election on Monday. Among other things, they had previously criticized restrictions on the registration of candidates for elections.
In March 2019, Tokayev ousted his authoritarian predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had ruled Kazakhstan for around 30 years. In the June 2019 election, which was accompanied by police violence, Tokayev was elected with 70.96 percent.
