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1 1 (May 9, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govzpt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: A Congressional _____ S esearch Service ~nforming the leg slaetive debate since 1914 Kazakhstan's Snap Presidential Election May 9, 2019 Overview Kazakhstan, an important U.S. partner in areas such as nuclear nonproliferation and counterterrorism, has embarked on an unprecedented process of political transition. On March 19, 2019, Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his resignation as president after almost 30 years in office. The former First Secretary of Soviet Kazakhstan's Communist Party, Nazarbayev became Kazakhstan's first elected president in 1991. He was subsequently reelected four times, most recently in 2015, although none of these elections were deemed free and fair by international observers. His authoritarian government faced criticism for human rights violations and suppression of political dissent. Nazarbayev nevertheless enjoyed strong domestic popularity because of his largely successful efforts to promote stability and economic development. Nazarbayev is now moving to implement a tightly controlled succession process in which he maintains significant power, but his resignation and the announcement of a snap presidential election have prompted a burst of protest and democratic activism across the country. Presidential Succession In accordance with Kazakhstan's constitution, the Speaker of the Senate, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, became acting president for the remainder of Nazarbayev's term, which was set to end in 2020. Although he is no longer president, Nazarbayev maintains significant powers as head of the National Security Council and chairman of the Nur Otan party. As First President and Elbasy (Leader of the Nation), he enjoys constitutionally protected status, including lifelong immunity from prosecution. His daughter, Senator Dariga Nazarbayeva, succeeded Tokayev as Speaker of the Senate on March 20 and is therefore first in the presidential line of succession. On April 9, Tokayev announced that Kazakhstan would hold a snap presidential election on June 9. Many observers consider Tokayev's victory guaranteed because of the government's strict control of the electoral process. Nonetheless, seven people are running, the largest number of candidates ever in a Kazakhstani presidential election (including Daniya Yespaeva, the first woman to run). Amirzhan Kosanov is running as a government critic, marking the first time an opposition candidate has been allowed to run since 2005. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11113 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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