In this photo released by the Kazakh Presidential Press Office, Kazakh President Kasym-Zomart Kemeluly Tokayev casts his vote at a polling station in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sunday, March 19, 2023.
Astana – Early parliamentary elections were held in Kazakhstan today due to a change in the electoral system earlier than planned. According to opinion polls, the ruling Amanat party of President Kasym-Žomart Tokayev will most likely win, but independent candidates could also get into the lower house of parliament based on the new system, Reuters reported.
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Photo gallery: Elections in Kazakhstan
Estimates of the results released after the polls closed gave the ruling party 53-54 percent of the vote, enough to maintain a comfortable majority. According to the TASS agency, estimates also promise an increase in the number of parties in parliament, up to six, including the opposition Social Democrats. Of the 98 deputies, 69 are elected according to party candidates, 29 in single-mandate constituencies, the Central Asian server Fergana News recalled.
Last January, Kazakhstan was swept by mass protests, the suppression of which resulted in over 200 deaths. But today's voting was calm. Voter turnout reached 54.2 percent, authorities announced after the polls closed. The estimates came out after midnight local time, with the first results expected on Monday. The final results must then be announced by March 29, the Astana Times website reported.
About 12.3 million out of a total of roughly 19 million inhabitants could vote, 98 members of the lower house of parliament are elected. The elections are being held early due to constitutional reforms announced by President Tokayev after last year's anti-government protests.
The novelty of today's elections in this country rich in oil and natural gas was that voters did not choose only from representatives of political parties, but also from independent candidates, among whom there are also several opposition politicians. According to Reuters, something like this is happening for the first time in two decades. However, turnout in the traditionally opposition-leaning largest city of Almaty was low and the streets were lined with police.
“We keep complaining that nothing changes in our country, but we don't participate in political life ourselves. Coming and voting is the least we can do for change,” said 36-year-old manager Yevgenija, who did not want to give her last name or who she voted for.
Also, the threshold for entering parliament was newly lowered from seven to five percent. According to the DPA agency, international observers also welcomed the news, but at the same time criticized the continued lack of freedom of the press and speech.
Tokayev already voted in the morning in Astana without speaking to journalists. He said the election should allow for the implementation of his plan for reforms and a fairer distribution of revenues from the sale of mineral wealth.
The AFP agency characterized the situation surrounding the elections as a timid opening to democracy despite the lingering reflexes of an authoritarian regime in this largest Central Asian country. At the same time, Tokaev himself warned that those who sow discord will be severely punished.
“The electoral system has changed and gives the impression of an election. But in reality, the president and his administration have the vote counting in their hands,” said political scientist Dimaš Aljanov. “In an authoritarian country, elections are held to keep the regime in power, not to replace it,” he added.
Independent observers were not allowed to participate in the counting of votes after polling stations closed, and videos appeared on social media showing showing the alleged casting of forged ballots into ballot boxes, AFP said, adding that it could not verify the authenticity of the footage.
The now 69-year-old Tokayev has been president since March 2019, succeeding Nursultan Nazarbayev as head of state, who ruled post-Soviet Kazakhstan since independence in 1991. He resigned unexpectedly in March 2019, but still retained an influential position in the country until last January's riots. These broke out at first as demonstrations against rising fuel prices, but later turned into violent protests against the government. The mob also attacked government buildings in several cities. The regime harshly suppressed the unrest, and Tokayev asked for help from Russia and other post-Soviet states, which temporarily sent their troops there.
During the unrest, Tokayev removed Nazarbayev from the influential post of chairman of the Security Council and later announced reforms. Tokayev's government also returned the name Astana to the capital last year. In 2019, the metropolis was renamed Nur-Sultan, in honor of former president Nazarbayev. Tokayev's reforms also strengthened the powers of the parliament and limited them to the president. However, due to changes in the electoral system, presidential elections had to be held again, which Tokayev won again in November with 81 percent of the vote. The completion of the political transition is expected to further strengthen Tokayev's position.
