Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the interim President of Kazakhstan handpicked by veteran leader Nursultan Nazarbayev as his successor, will confirm his position on Sunday in an election triggered by Mr. Nazarbayev’s resignation.
Hundreds of people protested on Sunday, criticising the election as undemocratic. But 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 the Central Asian state.
For many of its 12 million registered voters, Mr. Tokayev, a former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, was the only familiar face among seven candidates in a brief and uneventful campaign.
Hundreds of people chanting “Shame!” staged protests in Almaty and Nur-Sultan, the capital that was named after Mr. Nazarbayev on Mr. Tokayev’s suggestion.
