Snap presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on 9 June 2019 to elect the President of Kazakhstan following the resignation of long-term President Nursultan Nazarbayev in March 2019. This was the sixth presidential election held since Kazakhstan's independence. The elections were not free and fair, and were widely denounced as a sham. Acting president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Nur Otan won the election.
Originally scheduled for April 2020, when President Nursultan Nazarbayev's fifth term was set to expire, the snap elections were announced on 9 April 2019, shortly after acting president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev assumed office following Nazarbayev's resignation amidst anti-government protests.
Nominations took place following the announcement of elections. Nine candidates expressed their interest, of which seven registered, making it the election with the largest number of presidential candidates in Kazakhstan's history. The nominees from political parties and public associations were acting president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who became a candidate for the ruling Nur Otan after endorsement from his predecessor Nazarbayev, Amirjan Qosanov from the Ult Tagdyry movement, Jambyl Ahmetbekov from the Communist People's Party, Toleutai Raqymbekov from the Auyl People's Democratic Patriotic Party, Amangeldi Taspihov from the Federation of Trade Unions, Sadibek Tügel from the Uly Dala Qyrandary and Dania Espaeva from Aq Jol, the first Kazakh woman to officially participate in elections.
Campaigning was focused on the issues of agriculture, environment, labour rights, social benefits, the market economy, the legacy of Nazarbayev's policies and the current political system, in which presidential candidates proposed solutions from further democratization and decommunization to the development of the nation's values and agricultural industry.
Tokayev's victory was marked as the first peaceful transition of power in Kazakhstan's history, despite challenges resulting from the political unrest that took place in the streets of Almaty and Nur-Sultan. According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), "significant irregularities were observed on election day, including cases of ballot box stuffing, and a disregard of counting procedures meant that an honest count could not be guaranteed." "There were widespread detentions of peaceful protesters on election day in major cities", said the OSCE in their Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions.
On 12 June, Tokayev took the oath of office during a ceremony at the Palace of Independence in the capital, Nur-Sultan. From there, he pledged to protect the interests of every citizen and consider any proposals and initiatives that would be put forward by political and community leaders.
Background
Re-election of Nazarbayev and post-economic crisis recovery
President Nursultan Nazarbayev was elected for a fifth term in the 2015 Kazakh presidential election in the midst of an economic crisis. From there, he pledged economic reforms, political stability, inter-ethnic accord and social cohesion. Nevertheless, the Kazakh economy continued following the downspiral caused by the 2010s oil glut and devaluation of the tenge to the point of Nazarbayev calling for a snap parliamentary election in January 2016 amidst fears of another oil price crash which would have severely impacted the economy. By the end of that year, Kazakhstan's GDP reached its lowest point of $137.3 billion with a 1.1% growth rate, making it the worst performance since 1998.
However, things took a drastic turn the following year mainly due to the increase of the price of oil and the launch of the Kashagan Field which increased the output production of petroleum. Other economic activity such as in manufacturing, agriculture, transport, and trade sectors also experienced a regrowth. By the end of 2017, the GDP growth rate In Kazakhstan amounted to 4.1% and since then has remained stable from there.
Speculations of post-Nazarbayev succession
In September 2016, Nazarbayev reshuffled several cabinet positions and appointed his daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva to the post of Deputy Prime Minister, believed to be due to Uzbek President Islam Karimov's unexpected death who had no clear successor which led to a speculation of Nazarbayev's potential moves in having his daughter succeed him. In a November 2016 interview to the Bloomberg News, Nazarbayev said that he had no plans in handing over his succession to his children and mentioned that any transfer of power in the country is carried out by the Constitution.