Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the interim president of Kazakhstan hand-picked by veteran leader Nursultan Nazarbayev as his successor, will confirm his position on Sunday in an election triggered by Nazarbayev’s resignation.
Nazarbayev, who had run the oil-rich former Soviet republic for almost three decades before stepping down in March, and retains sweeping powers, chose the 66-year-old diplomat as his successor, making the outcome of the vote all but certain.
Although critics say the arrangement is undemocratic, the smooth transition is positive news for its neighbours Russia and China as well as for foreign energy and mining companies who have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in Kazakhstan.
