Kazakhstan Leader Headed for Landslide Victory in Elections, Poll Shows – Nationwide

Kazakhstan’s President Qasim Jomart Tokayev is aiming for a landslide victory in Sunday’s snap elections, a year after sidelining his long-ruling predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev, according to exit polls. In no time at all, he consolidated his grip on power.

As Nazarbayev’s handpicked successor in 2019, the former diplomat who came to power when the Central Asian country’s sole ruler since Soviet times stepped down, Tokayev called for an attempted coup in the January uprising. After breaking up with his former patron.

Winning a new election – Opinion polls show he won between 82% and 85% of the vote.

Nazarbayev, who held key posts after his resignation, abandoned them during riots earlier this year that killed 238 people. Tokayev then forced Nazarbayev’s allies to abandon their other positions and renamed the capital, renaming it “Nur-Sultan” in Nazarbayev’s honor.

Tokayev sought Russia’s help to quell the unrest in January, but has since kept his distance from Russia and avoided giving public support to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Russia is Kazakhstan’s biggest trading partner, and a recession in Russia hurts neighboring economies, while a rally in the ruble RUB=, boosted by capital controls, pushed Kazakhstan’s inflation to a 14-year high. pushed up.

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Former Foreign Minister and UN Deputy Secretary-General Tokayev has overseen a constitutional amendment limiting his term to two terms. He also pledged to reduce income inequality in the country of 19 million people by eradicating corruption and redistributing wealth more equitably.

Presidential elections were originally scheduled for the second half of 2024, but were pushed forward after January’s turmoil and subsequent constitutional referendum. Tokayev said on Sunday that he would continue to “reset” the political system by holding early parliamentary elections next year. Tokayev stepped down from his ruling Amanat party this year to oversee reforms that would facilitate the establishment of new political parties.

Polls predict that none of the other five candidates will score double digits in Sunday’s poll.

“Of all the people running for president, I only know Tokaev,” said Timran Sadikov, who lives in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city.

“And secondly, his demeanor on the international stage was very charming.”

Another Almaty voter, a 35-year-old manager who gave only his first name Serik, said he voted against all candidates.

..I think those in power have to realize that they’re not giving us real choices,” he said.

Police detained dozens of people in Almaty in a small protest against the vote, according to opposition groups and local media. Some were quickly released, while others were charged with misdemeanors, police said.

According to the Central Election Commission, 69.4% of voters had cast their ballots before polling stations across Kazakhstan closed at 9 pm local time. Preliminary results of the vote are expected on Monday.

(Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov and Mariya Gordeyeva; Additional reporting by Tamara Vall in Astana; Editing by Peter Graff, Frances Kerry, Alexander Smith and Paul Simao)