Snap presidential election are taking place on November 20 in the country, and the outcome is foregone, according to many Kazakhstanis.
Artur Zhumabaev, young Aktobe-based journalist, has never voted at elections. The first time he decided to exercise his new right was in 2016 at the parliamentary election, when he just turned 18. Since then, he voted in elections of various levels, but this year the situation is quite different.
According to him, he is unlikely to vote as sees no point in it.
“We know who is going to be the president. It’s no use making wild guesses. It’s all obvious,” Artur said.
He had the same opinion in 2019, when Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev was first nominated for the president. He said that back then he did not vote either because his vote would not change anything. Unfortunately, Artur is not the one who has such opinion. Many Kazakhstanis think the same – both younger and older generations.
Unreliable candidates
Artist and activist of the movement “Oyan Qazaqstan” Zhanel Shakhanova believes, on the contrary, that no one should remain silent and everyone should demonstrate their civil position. According to her, it can be done in a variety of ways: vote against all, spoil the ballot, be an observer, or take part in protests.
“If someone worries about their security, they need to share their opinion to their inner circle, write about it on social media, these things do matter. It should be done to make those in power be aware of public opinion, especially when it contradicts their plans,” she said.
According to her, the only significant change after the election is that two women have appeared on the list of candidates. Zhanel Shakhanova relates it to the active fem-agenda in recent years. However, they seem unreliable, given the story of a scandalous book by Karakat Abden “You are a Kazakh woman. Be proud!”, which has caused a lot of criticism on the internet.
She said that none candidate at this election inspires confidence and tries to promote their position.
“When they say that Tokayev is slightly better, doing great, I don’t want him to be only slightly better, I want the situation be great. […] Why is Tokayev only one normal [candidate]? Maybe because no other normal candidates are allowed?” the activist said.
Who to choose?
Astana resident Beksultan said clearly that he would vote for Tokayev in the upcoming election:
Another resident of the capital, Madina, is also going to vote for the incumbent president. According to her, no other choice was left to Kazakhstanis:
There are people who are impressed by the diplomatic experience of the current president. Almaty-based Raushan said that he had experience in this sphere and strong links with politicians in other countries. However, she also added that there was no one else to choose:
Resident of Taraz Adelya said that there was no need to hold elections now, when economic stability and social situation of the people were more important than political games:
We have what we have
According to political analyst Anuar Nurtazin, this election is no different from previous ones as there is only one main and strong candidate, who would have all support from the administrative staff. And remaining candidates are little known, show no competitiveness, seem unreliable, and do not try to express themselves.
Nevertheless, he considers the candidature of Tokayev the most optimal at this moment for maintaining the status quo. However, he noted that Kazakhstanis actually do not care much about politics. What they care about is everyday issues, especially given the increase in inflation rate, and people need stability, which can be well ensured by the incumbent president.
According to Nurtazin, the country is still at risk of social disturbances and protests following the January events. Therefore, people need real changes and rulers must be banned from carrying out unpopular reforms and making unpopular decisions.
“We need to create social mobility to enable younger generation, men in the street, move to higher posts regardless of their financial position, clan, tribal and family links. When they say they would not employ a man in the street, it means that the same people would be dealing with the same old issues again. And here comes the obvious questions: what will be the outcome when the same people deal with the same old issues?” he said.