Elections necessary to ensure political stability in Kazakhstan, says Dy FM

Nur Sultan (Astana City) [Kazakhstan], Jun 9 (ANI): Kazakhstan's deputy foreign minister Roman Vassilenko on Saturday said while the country has undergone major infrastructural development, elections are vital to facilitate social and political stability.
Vassilenko made these remarks while briefing foreign media a day ahead of presidential polling in the country.
"Kazakhstan must confirm the continuity, predictability and stability of its domestic and foreign policies," he said, adding that the upcoming presidential election is different as it would be the first time that a new President would be elected.
Later, Vassilenko, in an interview with ANI, said, "Since polling will be held tomorrow, I cannot make any prediction. We will know the results in the early morning of June 10. It will be the people of the country who will decide so I cannot speculate at this stage who would be the winner in this election."
"Because of the constitutional changes in 2017, the government in Kazakhstan has to resign before the newly elected Parliament, not the newly-elected President. That was done to strengthen the role of the Parliament and of the government when the powers were redistributed from the Presidency," he added.
Vassilenko also said that the newly-elected President will set out the agenda for development and progress, adding that the government will play a key role in implementing the vision.
Kazakh political analyst Talgat Kaliyev opined that the presidential polls will be a milestone for the people as a new President would be elected.
"I have seen the partition of the Soviet Union and also seen bloodshed during that time. But after Nursultan Nazarbayev took over, he ensured stability by implementing welfare policies for the people. His sudden resignation was shocking for everyone. But we respect his decision," he noted.
Kaliyev underlined that the country is looking for a peaceful transition of power without any social disruption. "There are certain challenges before the newly-elected government like reduction in export dependency, maintainability in oil prices and various welfare schemes they need to initiate and so on," he added.
Meanwhile, incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who took over in March, hoped that the polls would be held in a free and impartial manner.
Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioner of India (ECI) and Nikhil Kumar, Director EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) of ECI, are going to observe the Kazakhstan presidential elections.
Kazakhstan Central Election Commission has accredited 1,013 international observers from nine international organisations and 147 observers from 41 foreign countries to observe the polls.
Kazakhstan Embassy in Delhi will have a polling station where the Kazakh citizens residing in India can exercise their civic duties. (ANI)