Kazakhstan’s incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has won the presidential election in all the regions of the country with 70.76% of votes.
The preliminary results were announced by Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission Konstantin Petrov at a briefing on Monday.
"Kassym-Jomart Tokayev - 6,504,054 votes, or 70.76%," TASS cited Petrov as saying.
Seven candidates were vying for Kazakhstan’s presidential office. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gained 70.76% of the votes; journalist Amirjan Kosanov (Ult Tagdyry National Patriotic Movement Association) 16.2%; member of the lower parliament house Daniya Yespayeva (nominated by the Ak Zhol party) - 5.2%; board chairman of the National Agrarian Research and Educational Center Toleutai Rakhimbekov (representing the Auyl People’s Democtratic Patriotic Party) 3.2%; trade union leader Amangeldy Taspikhov (Federation of Kazakh Trade Unions) - 2.07%; member of the lower parliament house Jambyl Akhmetbekov (nominated by the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan) - 1.82% and writer Sadybek Tugel (Uly Dala Kyrandary Republican Movement) - 0.92%.
The voter turnout at Sunday’s early presidential elections in Kazakhstan was 77.4%.
The head of the Central Asia and Kazakhstan Department of the CIS Institute, Andrei Grozin, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will preserve both the domestic and foreign policy of first president Nursultan Nazarbayev. "In domestic policy, it means maintaining the same course. Tokayev run for the president, actively using two terms - stability and continuity. I would not expect any serious changes either in domestic, or in foreign policy. At the same time, everyone in Kazakhstan understands that Nursultan Nazarbayev will continue to actively influence the political situation in the country, giving the new president advises. In such circumstances, it is clear that we can speak only about maintaining the same course," he said.
"Tokayev is a pure diplomat, a person who is credited with authorship of Kazakhstan's so-called multi-vector policy. He will be interested in maintaining the previous level of contacts with the north,the south, the west and the east at once. Russia will remain a strategic partner for Kazakhstan, the EEU and the CSTO partner," Andrei Grozin added.
Director of the Alternativa Center for Topical Studies Andrei Chebotarev agreed with Grozin. "The transit of power, which has begun in March with the resignation of the first president, continues. The second stage connected with elections is over, now the next stage of transit begins, when Tokayev will have to strengthen his power. Perhaps it will affect the parties. New parties will be formed, especially since the parliamentary elections will be held in 2021," he noted.
"Tokayev run with the slogan of continuity of Nursultan Nazarbayev's political course, including a multi-vector foreign policy. The fact that he paid one of his first visits to Russia shows that practically nothing will change. Tokayev is a professional diplomat, therefore it is possible that emphasis will be shifted to a more noticeable advancement of Kazakhstan’s national interests in foreign policy. There will be no fundamental review of relations, everything will remain at the same strategic level," Andrei Chebotarev expects.
