OPINION: The 20 November snap election in Kazakhstan gave incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev another seven years in office, with the leader of the oil-rich central Asian nation garnering more than 81% of the vote.
The margin of victory should be taken with a pinch of salt — critics say the opposition had little time to organise or campaign. But even if the early elections were not the “radical reset of the entire political system” that Tokayev is seeking, they left little doubt that he remains a popular figure among a large section of the population.
