After nearly 30 years in power the first president of independent Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, announced his resignation on 19 March 2019. A whole generation of young Kazakhs grew up under his reign, never experiencing a presidential transition in their lifetimes. Three weeks after Nazarbayev's resignation, on 9 April 2019, Tokayev declared early presidential elections to be held on 9 June. Early presidential and parliamentary elections have become a Kazakh “tradition” in recent decades, an effective practice to prevent potentially non-loyal contestants from participating.
Author: Daniyar Kussainov