Kazakhstan’s presidential election kicked off on Sunday as voters seek to elect the country’s first new leader in nearly 30 years.
The Central Asian country’s election come following the resignation of former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev in March. The 78-year-old has ruled the country since it became the last Soviet republic to declare independence from the USSR in 1991.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took over from Nazarbayev as interim president, and is in contention to replace the latter on a full capacity.
Tokayev is joined by six other candidates on the ballot, all of whom are not considered as popular as he is.
The other candidates are; Jambyl Ahmetbekov and Dania Yespayeva, members of the national Parliament, journalist Amirjan Qosanov, Toleutai Rakhimbekov – Chairman of the Board of the National Agrarian Scientific and Educational Center, trade unionist Amangeldy Taspikhov and Vice President of the Association of National Sports of Kazakhstan Sadybek Tugel.
Tokayev served as Minister of Foreign Affairs until January 2007, when he was elected as a Chairman of the Senate.
Eleven million voters are eligible to vote in the Kazakh elections. This is a 1.5 million increase on the number of people that were eligible to vote in the last presidential election held in 2015.
Kazakhstan has a population of 18.6 million.
The Asia country expects 1,013 election observers from 41 countries and 9 international organisations.
The Kazakh Constitution stipulates that no one can be elected president more than two terms in a row, though the first president was exempt from this.
Should Tokayev win Sunday’s poll, his first term in office will run until 2024.
