In Kazakhstan, the current head of state Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev won the presidential elections. The voting turnout, according to the central election commission (СEC), exceeded 68%.
This was stated by the head of the CEC Nurlan Abdirov, Tengrinews reports.
According to preliminary results, Tokayev won 81.3% or 6.45 million votes. His opponents won no more than 3.42%.
Kazakhstanʼs opposition emphasized the relative obscurity of the alternative candidates and argued that they were participating only for the appearance of a fight.
At the beginning of September, Tokayev proposed to hold early presidential elections — "a new mandate of the peopleʼs trust is needed for the successful implementation of radical and comprehensive reforms."
In June, Kazakhstan held a referendum on amendments to the Constitution. They foresee that references to the first president Nursultan Nazarbayev as the founder of independent Kazakhstan, as well as to his special status, will be completely removed from the Constitution. In addition, the countryʼs president is prohibited from being a member of political parties, he must be equidistant from all political movements in Kazakhstan, and his closest relatives cannot hold the highest government positions. In addition, the president of Kazakhstan will now be elected for one seven-year term, and he will not have the right to run for a second term.
- In Kazakhstan, large-scale protests against the increase in fuel prices began on January 2, but a day later they turned into an uprising against the regime. At first, the authorities made concessions on the issue of fuel, but already on January 5, the president called the protesters "terrorists" and called for help from the troops of the CSTO countries. In the cities, security forces and the military actively used combat weapons against people.
- On January 9, the Kazakh authorities announced that "the situation has stabilized and is under control" in all regions of the country. CSTO troops began to leave the country. According to the General Prosecutorʼs Office, 225 people died during the protests, including 19 law enforcement officers and soldiers.