DND Monitoring Team
Monitoring Desk: Polling for Presidential Election in Kazakhstan is in process not only in Kazakhstan rather in several Kazakh embassies abroad where Kazakh citizens can vote for choosing their next President.
Over 11 million voters are eligible to vote in the population of 18.6 million, including 1.5 million newly registered voters who have turned 18 of age since the last presidential election in 2015.
Foreign media believes that election would not bring any change in ruling hierarchy and Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev will be elected with greater majority.
It is pertinent to mention that Kazakhstan is holding extraordinary presidential elections due to abrupt resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev who according to him decided to resign to provide place for next generation to carry responsibility of rule.
Kazakhstan became strongest economy under the leadership of Nursultan who got independence from former Soviet Union. He resigned in March this year and placed Kassym Zhomart Tokayev as interim President and his candidate for today’s election.
Russian media indicate high turnout of voters in first half of election by citing sources in Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Polling will continue till 20.00 hours of Kazakh time with a short lunch break.
Interim (acting) President had been serving the country as Speaker of the upper house of parliament and he announced snap presidential election for June 9 (today) after assuming the charge of acting President.
Western media look critical about election while Human Rights Watch claims that “the transition has been carefully orchestrated and highly controlled”.
Former President Nazarbayev is head of his ruling political party ruling Nur Otan and also holds the charge of National Security Council—an institution which steers foreign policy, defence, strategic planning and overall outlook of the government.
Why Western Media is critical of Kazakhstan?
“Former President Nazarbayev has been driving force behind exceptional economic development and human development of the country and brain behind Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Eurasian Economic Union —-two major intercontinental initiatives which indirectly threaten western hegemony over world economy and balance of power. Eurasian loose bloc is reality of the world. Nazarbayev played a pivotal rule in Syrian crises by hosting crucial talks in Kazakhstan. He protected his nation from waves of terrorism which are allegedly designed to destabilize rising nations and he acted as iron wall against world economic jolts through his vision and liberal foreign policy”, said a senior journalist and development Observer Agha Iqrar Haroon whose areas of work include Central Asia and eastern Europe.
