Kazakhstan on Sunday voted in snap parliamentary elections that noticed new faces on the poll, however opposition events nonetheless barred one 12 months after lethal protests shook the Central Asian nation.
Polling stations in the ex-Soviet nation had closed with a turnout of 54.19 % of the 12 million eligible voters, in keeping with the Election Commission. The outcomes are anticipated Monday morning.
A brand new system has been launched for this election, with 69 deputies -– out of the 98 in the Majilis, the decrease home of Parliament -– elected by proportional illustration.
According to exit polls broadcast on state tv, the ruling Amanat get together is in the lead with 53 % of the vote, and 5 to 6 events are anticipated to enter parliament, in comparison with three at present.
The 29 deputies elected by the first-past-the-post system weren’t recognized on Sunday night.
The enormous, oil-rich nation is wedged between its former Soviet grasp Russia and China, which is gaining standing in Central Asia as an financial powerhouse.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev introduced the early vote as a part of a “modernisation” drive introduced after protests against fuel prices erupted in January last year. They were brutally crushed and 238 people died, according to the official toll.
Tokayev, a former diplomat, was hand-picked in 2019 by his predecessor and mentor Nursultan Nazarbayev to take the helm after a nearly three-decade rule. But Tokayev purged the vestiges of that era after the demonstrations.
‘Changing for the better’
Both Tokayev and 82-year-old Nazarbayev were seen casting their vote on Sunday morning.
“As independent candidates are admitted, I think the electoral system is changing for the better,” nurse Irina Reshetnik, 58, instructed AFP at a polling station in the capital Astana.
Ernest Serikov, an 81-year-old retired professor in Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis Almaty, stated he supported the president and known as the elections “experimental”.
Independent candidates were allowed to run for parliament for the first time in nearly 20 years, the previous lower house having been made up of three pro-government parties.
The threshold to enter the 98-seat legislature has been lowered to five percent and a 30-percent quota was introduced for women, young people and people with disabilities.
In total, seven parties participated in this election, two of them recently registered. But several opposition parties and independent candidates were banned from running.
After polling stations closed, local media reported incidents of election observers prevented from overseeing the vote count while videos of alleged ballot box stuffing appeared on social media. AFP could not immediately confirm if the videos were authentic.
‘Keep power’
Tokayev, 69, promised to reform government institutions and in January dissolved parliament, saying early polls would “give new impetus to the modernisation”.
“The electoral system has modified and gives the look of selection,” political scientist Dimash Alzhanov told AFP. “But in reality, the president and his administration are keeping the vote count in their hands.
“Here, elections are held in order to keep power. That’s what elections are in an authoritarian country,” he added.
After the riots that grew out of peaceable demonstrations in opposition to a fuel-price spike, Tokayev was re-elected in a snap presidential vote in November, securing a landslide win in an election criticised for missing competitors.
Inequality and corruption persist and hovering inflation is hurting the buying energy of the inhabitants of practically 20 million folks.
In the financial hub Almaty, the marketing campaign was in full swing forward of the vote, with candidate posters on restaurant home windows, scaffolding and avenue lamps.
Ambiguous slogans — corresponding to “Order is the place the reality is” or “With me there is no mess” — mirrored candidates’ lacklustre political platforms.
Some younger voters in Almaty expressed scepticism over the modifications.
“Will I participate in the elections? No, to be sincere… as a result of I hardly consider in honest elections in Kazakhstan in common,” Aset Smagulov, a 21-year-old IT specialist, told AFP before the polls.
It is estimated that four or five parties will be presented in parliament following the election.
“Loyal parties will be present in parliament and Amanat,” Almaty-based political analyst Andrei Chebotarev predicted earlier than the vote.
“The presidential get together will retain nearly all of seats,” he told AFP.
But, he added: “The diversity of parties will have an impact on the acceptance of the election results, both for the population and internationally.”
Read all of the Latest News right here
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed)
