Tokayev re-elected in snap election in Kazakhstan, says CEC
Tokayev re-elected in snap election in Kazakhstan, he received over 80% of voters supported (Photo:Press Service of the President of Kazakhstan/Handout via Reuters)
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been re-elected president of Kazakhstan following the holding of early elections in the country, Radio Azattyq, RFE/RL’s Kazakh-language service, reported on Nov. 21.
According to preliminary data from the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, 81.31% of voters supported the incumbent in the election.
Tokayev won the previous presidential election in Kazakhstan, in 2019, with a 70.96% share of the vote.
Even before the announcement of the final results, Tokayev held telephone talks with the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, as well as the leader of China Xi Jinping. They all congratulated him on his "convincing victory" in the elections.
Ahead of Kazakhstan's snap election, critics said the outcome had already been decided and that other little-known candidates had been brought into the campaign to create the appearance of a contest.
Tokayev first became president of Kazakhstan in 2019. He was a close political ally of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had led an authoritarian regime in the country since 1991. Nazarbayev resigned from the presidency in 2019 amid anti-government riots.
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