Photo of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the presidential election at the polling station of the Military Engineering Institute of Radioelectronics and Communications, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, November 20, 2022. [EPA-EFE/TIMUR BATYRSHIN]
Kazakhstan has rejected the complaint of its presidential vote, in which current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won a landslide victory for re-election.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was re-elected on Sunday (Nov. 20) with hopes and promises of democratic reforms, in a country ruled for just 30 years by a predecessor who concentrated too much power.
The Foreign Ministry said Monday (Nov. 21) that a report on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) elections “lacks objectivity. “
“Biased conclusions, demonstrating a reluctance to acknowledge the evolving domestic situation” in the resource-rich Central Asian country, he said.
The ministry accused the report of “baseless and unconfirmed allegations. “
The OSCE said on Monday that Sunday’s snap elections lacked “competitiveness” and showed a lack of reforms.
According to final results released Tuesday, Tokayev consolidated his grip on power for a moment, winning 81. 31 percent of the vote.
The result was not a surprise, as Tokayev’s five warring sides were unknown and none of them scored in double digits.
The European Union on Tuesday suggested Kazakhstan “increase political pluralism and citizens’ participation in political life” and “fully implement” OSCE recommendations.
Nonetheless, Brussels welcomed “broader political and socio-economic reforms” in Kazakhstan, which is rich in herbal resources and at the crossroads of vital industrial routes.
The country was plunged into chaos in January against high fuel prices, which left more than 230 people dead.
Tokayev violently suppressed the riots and distanced himself from former Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had been his mentor.
He called for early elections in a bid to open up a new bankruptcy after the unrest, and said he was seeking a new “mandate of confidence. “
The president also announced reforms, a constitutional referendum and presidential term limits, a head of state can only serve for a seven-year term without being married.
However, critics of the regime aside.