ASTANA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2022) Incumbent Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has won the snap presidential election in the country with 81.31% of the votes, Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Nurlan Abdirov said on Monday, citing preliminary results.
"Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (has obtained) 81.31% of the votes," Abdirov said at a CEC meeting, adding that turnout was 69.44%.
Zhang Ming, the head of the observer mission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said that the Kazakh authorities had successfully organized the presidential election in the country. Voters were very active, and the process went smoothly, Zhang added.
Sergey Lebedev, who leads the election observer mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to Kazakhstan, came to the same conclusions.
"The election was held in an organized manner, with dignity, without violations of the electoral legislation of Kazakhstan," Lebedev told reporters.
The presidential election was 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 twofold increase in gas prices. The new constitution includes a greater role of the parliament, while former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was relieved of all his powers.
Many experts perceived the early presidential election in Kazakhstan as Tokayev's attempt to consolidate the country after January riots.
