ALMATY: Kazakhs voted in presidential elections that are expected to consolidate Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s grip on power, months after fatal unrest sparked a historic replacement in the Central Asian country.
At 12:00 GMT, 3 hours before the final of the country’s 10,000 polling stations, turnout is 67. 85%. The first exit from the polls is scheduled for 18:00 GMT.
The victory of President Tokayev, who voted early in the capital Astana, is almost inevitable because the 69-year-old president faces no genuine opposition.
Authorities arrested a fortnight of protesters not easy to hold fair and loose elections in the country’s largest city, Almaty, AFP journalists said.
Last January, the vast former Soviet republic plunged protests into chaos against the top living charge that left 238 dead.
Kazakhstan has since stabilized, but tensions persist, as evidenced by Thursday’s arrest of seven opposition supporters accused of attempting a coup.
Tokayev, once a stableman known for his lack of an air of mystery, showed a ruthless appearance earlier this year by violently suppressing protests.
Hoping to turn a new page, Tokayev said he is seeking a “new mandate of confidence from the people” in this election.
No competition
AFP journalists saw voters taking selfies outdoors at polling stations in Astana and the economic hub of Almaty, but it was not a thrilling sight.
Many said they would be “obliged” to show it when they paint again on Monday.
If Tokayev has announced reforms, the promised “new Kazakhstan” as déjà vu, with an abandoned political landscape, an uncredible opposition and political pressures.
The criticism is downplayed and Tokayev’s five rivals are virtually unknown.
This made Alya Bokechova, 19, think that going to the polls “would be a waste of time. “
“We already know who is going to win and we don’t know the other candidates,” he told AFP.
But his democratic and economic reforms resonate with some voters.
Voting for Tokayev, police officer Nurlan N said: “Since independence 30 years ago, almost nothing has changed, I would like to see changes. “
Voting in Almaty, retiree Murzada Massalina, 68, said “Tokayev is the ideal candidate, he has a lot of experience. “
Days before the vote, seven other people linked to exiled opposition leader Mukhtar Ablyazov were arrested on charges of plotting a coup.
Tokayev also said glorifying those who took part in the January protests is “unacceptable. “
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) criticized Kazakhstan’s failure to comply with election recommendations, “conditions of eligibility and registration of candidates. “
Waiting for a change
Tokayev came to strength in 2019 after winning 70% of the vote in an election whose final result was inevitable after winning those of former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev.
For the next two and a half years, he played the role of faithful protégé.
But that’s after protests erupted in January and Tokayev ordered security forces to “shoot to kill” protesters.
Tokayev distanced himself from his former mentor Nazarbayev, purged his extended family of positions of authority and promised a “new Kazakhstan and. “
He announced reforms, a constitutional referendum and seven-year presidential terms without marrying.
The Kazakh leader also clashed with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine surprised the former Soviet republics.
The offensive has reignited Kazakh concerns that Moscow could have ambitions in the north of the country, which is home to 3 million ethnic Russians.
In response, Tokayev strengthened his country’s ties only with China, but also with Europe.
Leaders from Turkey and China have visited Kazakhstan, as have many senior European officials and Pope Francis this year.
Tokayev also directly confronted Putin on a stopover in St. Petersburg in June.
He said Moscow’s resolution on Ukraine’s breakaway regions, which it has since claimed to annex, would lead to chaos.
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