Kazakh President Tokayev Elected With 80 Percent Of Vote Rising Sea Levels Threaten Rocky Coasts Too, Study Says

In the oil and gas-rich ex-Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has won the presidential election as expected, according to preliminary information. Tokayev was re-elected with 81.31 percent of the vote, the Central Election Commission in Astana announced on Monday.

The five opposing candidates only achieved between 2.1 and 3.4 percent in the elections on Sunday. However, 5.8 percent of voters checked the “Against all” box on the ballot. The turnout was 69.4 percent, the state agency Kasinform reports.

Tokayev (69) faces a seven-year term of office following a constitutional amendment. Previously, the term of office was five years. About twelve million people were called on Sunday to vote in the country that borders China and Russia. International observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) wanted to give their opinion on the elections on Monday. They had previously criticized restrictions on the registration of candidates for elections, among other things.

In March 2019, Tokayev ousted his authoritarian predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had ruled Kazakhstan for about 30 years. In the June 2019 elections, which saw police brutality, Tokayev was elected with 70.96 percent. (sda/dpa)