ASTANA (Reuters) – Kazakhstan’s ruling Amanat party won 53.9% of the vote in Sunday’s snap parliamentary election, official data showed on Monday, giving President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev carte blanche to reform the oil-rich nation in line with his social justice objectives.
No opposition parties ran in the election but Western criticism was less pronounced than usual, coming at the time when Europe and the United States are trying to strengthen ties with Russia’s neighbours alarmed by Moscow’s bellicosity.
Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said reforms made ahead of the vote addressed some of the democracy watchdog’s prior recommendations and “increased choice for voter” although further changes are needed.
Despite a formal easing of requirements for party registration, such as the number of signatures they need to present from every region, no opposition parties have been able to register ahead of the vote.
At least one opposition group has accused the government of deliberately denying it registration.
A senior Kazakh official said that OSCE’s noting of positive changes as well areas of concern was a “welcome encouragement” for the authorities to work towards greater democracy.
“Such comments are also important given the geopolitical context of these elections and the unprecedented tensions the region and the world go through since last year,” said the official, who was not authorised to comment publicly.
The election of the lower chamber completes the reshuffle of the former Soviet republic’s political elite which began when Tokayev sidelined his former patron and predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev in early 2021 amid violent unrest.
Tokayev, 69, has since pledged to ensure fairer wealth distribution in the vast but sparsely populated country rich in hydrocarbons and minerals.
(Reporting by Tamara Vaal; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Louise Heavens and Angus MacSwan)
