Putin praises Tokayev on winning Kazakh poll

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Kazakhstan’s incumbent president, Kassym-jomart Tokayev, on his landslide victory in a snap presidential poll held months after deadly unrest in the oil-rich Central Asian country.

“You have received a convincing mandate of trust, which opens up new opportunities for national development,” Putin said in a statement.

Historically close ties between Russia and Kazakhstan have been strained since the launch of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, with the ex-soviet country seeking to balance ties with the West and Moscow.

Tokayev publicly clashed with Putin on a visit to Saint Petersburg in June, criticising Moscow’s move to recognise Ukrainian separatist regions that the Kremlin has since claimed to have annexed.

Putin in his message yesterday praised the “strategic partnership” and “alliance” between Russia and Kazakhstan, which he said were grounded in “friendship, neighbourliness and mutual respect”.

“We will continue to work together to improve them,” Putin added, according to the Kremlin.

According to preliminary results released yesterday, 69-year-old Tokayev was leading the election with over 81% of the vote.

The results were expected and none of his five little-known opponents scored double digits.

Rich in natural resources and located at the crossroads of important trade routes, Kazakhstan sank into chaos during protests over high living costs in January, which left 238 dead.

Tokayev – once a steady hand, if generally considered lacking charisma – showed a ruthless side earlier this year by violently suppressing protests.

He gave “shoot to kill” orders against demonstrators and called on Moscow to send in “peacekeeping” troops to help.