Tokayev elected new Kazakh President; smooth transition sets a good example for region

By Yang Sheng and Bai Yunyi in Nur Sultan Source:Global Times Published: 2019/6/10 17:13:39

Sino-Kazakh ties to further improve under new govt


Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won the historic election of Kazakhstan on Monday with about 70.76 percent of votes. Photo: Yang Sheng/GT


Kazakhstan's incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won the presidential election on Monday with 70.76 percent of the vote, and Chinese analysts said his election and the common interests shared by China and Kazakhstan will see bilateral relations further improve and deepen.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulation to Tokayev on the election on Monday, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Xi said that he cherishes China-Kazakhstan ties and is willing to establish a close relationship with Tokayev to promote bilateral ties.

Tokayev, 66, sworn in as the country's president  after the country's first president Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned in March. 

The ruling Nur Otan party of Kazakhstan in April nominated Tokayev as its candidate for the 2019 extraordinary presidential election.

Tokayev has deep connections with China. According to the official website of the president of Kazakhstan, Tokayev graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1975, and then he had an internship at the former Soviet Union's Embassy in China. In 1983-1984 he worked at the Beijing Linguistic Institute (now called Beijing Language and Culture University), where he learned to speak fluent Chinese.

From 1984 to 1985, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the former Soviet Union, before serving at the Soviet Embassy in China, where he worked until 1991 as Second Secretary, First Secretary and Adviser until the collapse of the former Soviet Union. In 1992 he was appointed the Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan.

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the department of Russia-Eastern Europe-Central Asia studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday that the China-Kazakhstan relationship is based on firm common interests, so the power transition won't impact the friendship between the two, and ties will further improve under Tokayev.

"The two countries have mature partnerships in energy and agriculture, including pipelines that connect Kazakhstan and China's Xinjiang. In the security domain, both sides have common needs to strike 'the three evils' [terrorism, separatism and religious extremism] that are threatening the security of the region," he said.

Kazakhstan has stable and strong ties with its two biggest neighbors - China and Russia. China and Kazakhstan are founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization together with Russia and three other Central Asian countries Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The SCO members have strong security cooperation mechanism and conduct counter-terrorism military drills every year.   

Because of the escalating China-US trade war, China's ties with neighboring countries will be surely improved as it seeks replacement markets and material supply sources to reduce pressure from the US, Yang noted. "This will increase opportunities for China-Kazakhstan future partnerships."

Stable power transition

Some critics among the Western media said Kazakhstan's election was not fair as the former president Nazarbayev still holds significant influence, and Tokayev, as the most trustworthy figure picked by Nazarbayev, has overwhelming advantages of other candidates. 

However, political analysts in Kazakhstan responded that this kind of well-planned arrangement will guarantee the stability of the country during the power transition as other Central Asian countries have experienced internal conflict during their power transitions.

According to a report by the Astana Times, the Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan gave final approval to legislation on June 28, 2018, granting Nazarbayev the right to head the country's Security Council for life.

Central Asian countries share similarities as their political systems rely heavily on their first generation leaders since gaining independence following the collapse of the former Soviet Union.  In recent years, after the demise of some first generation leaders, these countries have encountered serious instability, said Yang.

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have experienced similar unstable situations during their power transitions. 

"Central Asia is a crucial region in the struggle between great powers. Western countries may interrupt the power transition in favor of their interests and harm regional stability. This also threatens the security of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and regional economic development," he noted.

Talgat Kaliyev, a Kazakhstani political analyst told the Global Times that Nazarbayev remaining in a significant position to lead the National Security Council is to prevent potential risks that might occur during the power transition, and with the power transition of the country completed, Nazarbayev is reducing his influence in the governance of the state.

"He is letting the new political system run independently without his leadership," he said.  

Observers believed that Kazakhstan's successful and stable power transition could set a successful example in the region.


Newspaper headline: Kazakhstan transition smooth


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