SCO Anti-Terrorist Panel Highly Assesses Security In Kazakhstan During Presidential Vote

ASTANA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2022) Deputy Director of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO RATS) Arthur Golovanov has highly assessed the operation of Kazakh law enforcement forces to ensure security during the early presidential election in the country.

Kazakhstan is holding a snap election on Sunday, with six candidates running for president, including incumbent head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

"As a representative of the SCO anti-terrorist department, I would like to note a large-scale work carried out by the Kazakh security and law enforcement forces to ensure security, peaceful and calm conditions for the expression of will of the Kazakh people," Golovanov told reporters in Astana.

The incumbent Kazakh president, whose term was scheduled to expire in 2024, proposed holding an early presidential election after the parliament introduced changes to the country's constitution in September.

The election will be the first since 33 amendments to the Constitution of Kazakhstan were approved in a referendum in March. The amendments were introduced after mass protests in January caused by a two-fold increase in gas prices. The new constitution includes a greater role of parliament, while former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was relieved of all his powers.