In this handout photo released by Kazakhstan's President Press Office, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev casts his ballot at a polling station in Astasna, Kazakhstan on Nov 20, 2022. (KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT PRESS OFFICE VIA AP)
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev secured a second term in Sunday's snap election, winning 81.31 percent of the vote, the central Asian nation's Central Election Commission said on Monday, citing preliminary data.
He had been widely expected to extend his rule over the oil-rich nation by seven more years, with a strong mandate to continue his increasingly independent foreign policy.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had been widely expected to extend his rule over the oil-rich nation by seven more years, with a strong mandate to continue his increasingly independent foreign policy
"We can say that the people have expressed convincing confidence in me as president and all of you," Tokayev, 69, had told his staff earlier, referring to exit polls that favored him.
The campaign would "go down in history", the former diplomat added.
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Voter turnout was 69.44 percent, with five other candidates scoring in the low single digits, data showed. Voters' second most popular choice was "against everyone", with 5.8 percent of ballots.
Prompted by the exit polls, several fellow central Asian leaders congratulated Tokayev on Monday before the preliminary results.
Tokayev won his first election in 2019 with the backing of predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev, but the two fell out this year amid violent unrest in the nation of 20 million, and Sunday's vote consolidated his power as an independent leader.
A former foreign minister and deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, Tokayev has overseen constitutional reforms which limit his own rule to two terms. He has also promised to reduce income inequality by rooting out corruption and redistributing wealth more fairly in the country of 19 million people.
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The presidential election had originally been scheduled for late 2024, but was moved up after January's unrest and a subsequent constitutional referendum.
Tokayev said on Sunday he would continue "resetting" the political system by calling an early parliamentary election next year. Tokayev quit the ruling Amanat party this year and oversaw reforms making it easier to establish new political parties.
A family attend a polling station to vote in Astana, Kazakhstan on Nov 20, 2022. (STANISLAV FILIPPOV / AP)
"Among those who are running for president, I only know Tokayev, firstly," Timerlan Sadykov, a resident of Almaty, Kazakhstan's biggest city, said on the eve of the vote.
Tokayev said on Sunday he would continue "resetting" the political system by calling an early parliamentary election next year
"And secondly, the way he's conducted himself on the international stage has been very appealing."
Police detained a few dozen people in Almaty who staged small-scale protests against the vote, calling it illegal, according to opposition groups and local media. Police said some were soon released, while others faced misdemeanour charges.
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