Kazakhstan votes in parliamentary election expected to strengthen president’s grip on power

TALLINN, Estonia -- Polls opened Sunday in Kazakhstan’s parliamentary elections, a vote expected to further to strengthen President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s power in Central Asia’s largest nation.The ruling pro-presidential Adilet party is widely predicted to win an overwhelming majority, with several smaller parties loyal to Tokayev also anticipated to enter parliament.Tokayev, 73 — a former Soviet official and Kazakh diplomat who previously worked at the United Nations — has been in office since 2019.It is the country’s first elections to a new, single-chamber parliament called the Kurultai.Sunday’s vote is the culmination of a constitutional overhaul Tokayev initiated in March, when 87% of voters supported a referendum to merge the two chambers of parliament into one and grant the president authority to appoint key officials, subject to parliamentary approval, including reestablishing the vice presidency.Tokayev, who has sought to maintain a delicate balance between Moscow and the West since sanctions were imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine, has justified the changes by citing the need for rapid decision-making in a fast-changing world.Last month, Kazakhstan’s Constitution...