The European Union has expressed on Monday its recognition of the election results in Kazakhstan, which have been organized in an «efficient» manner, although it has criticized the lack of political competition in the elections that have resulted in the landslide victory of the current president, Kasim Yomart Tokayev.
«We welcome the efficient preparation and the wide-ranging political and socio-economic reforms initiated by Tokayev after the tragic episodes of January,» the communiqué of the European diplomacy pointed out.
The president won the presidential elections held this Sunday with 81.31 percent of the votes, according to preliminary data, which the EU takes note of. In this sense, the European bloc considers the strengthening of democratic institutions as a «key» piece for the stability and development of the Central Asian country.
In any case, it echoes the OSCE report that points out the lack of political competition in which the presidential elections have been conducted. «We call on the authorities of Kazakhstan to strengthen the reform process to increase political pluralism and citizen participation in political life,» the EU statement said.
Kazakhstan faces a reform process following a major wave of protests over rising fuel prices in early 2022 that were violently suppressed and eventually contained with the deployment of a Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) contingent.
