Incumbent Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, as expected, has easily won an early presidential election in Kazakhstan that international observers said lacked "competitiveness" while highlighting the need for reforms in the Central Asian nation.
According to preliminary results released on November 21, Toqaev won 81.3 percent of the vote, setting him up to extend his time in office by seven years under the country's new term limits.
SEE ALSO: Is Real Change Coming? Kazakhs Skeptical About Vote To Remove 'Nazarbaev' Benefits From ConstitutionDespite billing himself as a reformer, the 69-year-old Toqaev's apparent landslide victory came against five little-known opponents who were not seen as real competitors.
The second-largest tally went to no candidate, with 5.8 percent of the votes cast for "against all."
The runner-up among candidates, Zhiguli Dairabaev of the pro-government Auyl People's Democratic Patriotic Party, received just 3.4 of the vote.
Qaraqat Abden -- nominated by the National Alliance of Professional Social Workers -- was third with 2.6 percent of the vote. Abden was one of two female candidates, the other being human rights activist Saltanat Tursynbekova, who garnered 2.1 percent of the vote and finished last among the six candidates.
"The 20 November early presidential election took place in a political environment lacking competitiveness, and while efficiently prepared, the election underlined the need for further reforms to bring related legislation and its implementation in line with OSCE commitments to ensure genuine pluralism," the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission said on November 21.
Turnout was reported at 69.4 percent among 12 million eligible voters, according to the Central Election Commission. Final results will be released within the week, following the tabulation of votes cast from abroad.
"The people have clearly expressed their confidence in me and we have to justify it," Toqaev said as the results emerged.
The November 20 election came nearly three months after Kazakhstan replaced its system limiting presidents to two consecutive five-year terms with a single seven-year term. The constitutional changes were proposed by Toqaev as part of his campaign to create what he calls "a new Kazakhstan."
WATCH: Protesters were detained across Kazakhstan on November 20 amid a snap presidential election. In the biggest city, Almaty, supporters of the movement Wake Up, Kazakhstan! (Oyan, Qazaqstan!) rolled out a banner saying, "Will we live to see fair elections?" Police detained them for several hours.
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Kazakh Police Detain Protesters On Election Day
A presidential vote was originally due in 2024 and parliamentary elections in 2025. But in September, Toqaev called for early presidential and parliamentary elections, saying a new mandate was needed to “maintain the momentum of reforms” following a June referendum that stripped ex-President Nursultan Nazarbaev of his prestigious “Elbasy” (leader of the nation) status.
Toqaev continues to distance himself from Nazarbaev, who stepped down in 2019 after nearly three decades in power, naming his longtime ally as his successor.
The referendum to amend the constitution -- which included the new presidential term limit -- was presented by Toqaev as an important step to shift Kazakhstan from a “super-presidential form of government to a presidential republic with a strong parliament.”
Critics, however, have said the overhaul didn’t change the nature of the authoritarian regime and failed to remove any significant power that the president's office held.